Final Alchemy
by Karia Ithilai
Summary: Ed comes back five years later through the sacrifice of his father's life, but the Gate has given him a quest he must fulfill...or the foundations of every world in existence may collapse. EdXWinry BEING REWRITTEN
1. Returning Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, and probably will not own it within the scope of any logical reasoning.

FYI: Originally, I wrote this about half-a-year ago. Now, upon reinstatement and re-reading, I have decided that this fanfiction should definitely be rewritten to raise the level of literacy and writing. I'm ashamed of the state it was in before, and now, I hope to amend it. The storyline will be tweaked slightly, and I will take greater liberties with the characters as I see fit. Thank you for your patience.

So far, Chapter One has been re-written, and I'm working on the other chapters.

_This takes place after the series ends, but is an AU to the Conqueror of Shambala Movie. This story begins with Ed and Hohenheim in Germany, thirteen-year old Al and the rest of the FMA cast in Amestris, and events left as the last episode of FMA implies. Spoilers for those who have not finished the series yet_

_Now, may I present –_

**Final Alchemy: Saigo no Renkenjutsu**

Chapter 1: Returning Home

"And nothing I can say will dissuade you? You know the stakes, and you're still set on following through with this?" Oberth gnawed furiously on his lips, pacing before his fellow friend in mechanics, who was sitting behind a polished, oak desk in rather crowded, messy room of sketched schematics and various electrical designs.

His friend, a young man into his early twenties with his golden hair tied back in an efficient ponytail, set his lips in a grim line and replied, "When I say something, I follow through. Either way, Father already sacrificed his life to provide the energy we need to get through the Gate. Thule has been practicing their procedures long enough."

Oberth opened his mouth as if to protest further, but his friend's stern gaze froze his argument in his throat. Oberth settled for an exasperated sigh. "Very well, I'll give up," he resigned. The mechanic paused for a while before adding, "I can't believe you're going to do this, but…I guess this is goodbye then, Edward-san. It's been good knowing you, and I wish you Godspeed. If… you ever come back, drop by. Your genius will always be appreciated around here. You'll be missed."

Edward Elric looked up from the papers he was reviewing to acknowledge his erstwhile friend's parting speech. He managed a rare smile and nodded, but said nothing. He would miss this place, Earth, once he left. In half an hour. Just another thirty minutes, and he was going to leave this 'Earth' forever. Five years, from sixteen to twenty-one, he had worked tirelessly to this point, and now, all of his labors were coming to fruit. Ed paused in his reading, and his brief smile changed into a frown. No, it wasn't just his efforts. Hohenheim, or rather, his _father_, had put in every bit as much effort as he did. While Ed's grudge against the man wasn't forgotten, he had owed the man a form of reluctant respect. In the end, the old man had surprised him, offering his own life energy as the sacrifice to power Ed's travel through the Gate. While it was true that Hohenheim had little life left, considering the state of his temporary body, Ed never thought he would end his life in an altruistic sacrifice. Really, he could never understand the man.

Setting the papers down in a neat pile again, Ed flipped open his pocket watch and watched the second hand tick by merrily, and he waited for the thirty minutes to elapse. Thirty minutes, then he'd risk everything on a gamble to heaven or to hell.

* * *

Strange chants and incantations saturated the musky air as the members of the Thule society stood around the huge alchemy circle and summoned the Gate. Ed stood at the center, as relaxed as he could get himself to be, feeling slightly ironic that he, a former State Alchemist, was now completely at the mercy of amateurs. 

Suddenly, a flare of blue light jerked Ed from his thoughts, and he shielded his golden eyes from the steadily increasing brightness. The members of the Thule Society stepped back and watched, half triumphant that they had succeeded, and half fearful that they had done something wrong. Now, everything was beyond their control, and they could only hope for the best.

Ed froze on the spot, and the ground dropped away beneath his feet without warning. His surroundings dissolved and the underground cellar he was in faded away in a swirl of whiteness. His head was pounding as loud as his heart, and when his vision cleared, he found himself somewhere all too familiar.

He was in front of the Gate.

* * *

"Al! Where are you? It's time for dinner, so hurry up and get inside!" Winry stood on the porch and called out to the thirteen-year-old Alphonse, who was upstairs in his room, pouring over a book nearly as thick as it was wide. 

"Just a minute!" the young alchemist called back, and, checking to make sure his crude bookmark was in placed, slammed the heavy alchemy book and switched off the desk light. Going downstairs, the homely glow of yellow lamplight, and aroma of fresh bread greeted him in a gust of warm air.

Inside, Auntie Pinako, Izumi-sensei, Sig-san, Winry, Rose, and her baby were seated around the dinner table. However, as Al made his way to the table, he noticed that today, they had a guest that he vaguely remembered, but couldn't quite place. Al racked his brain for answers but no name came to mind, so he just nodded politely at the guest in a military uniform.

Once everyone was seated, Auntie Pinako addressed the stranger with his proper name.

"Well, General Mustang, why is such an important man like you visiting this humble countryside? Not that we mind, but nothing much happens around here."

Roy Mustang had jet-black hair, one eye with a black iris, and an eye patch covering half of his face to conceal the scars across the right side of his head. He cleared his throat and responded with an air of authority and composure that seemed to charm most girls he came across.

"Straight to business then. Mostly, I'm here because the rumors of Mr. Alphonse Elric's talent for alchemy are starting to spread. Obviously, the military heard, and I am here on an envoy to offer Alphonse Elric the possibility of becoming a State Alchemist. Normally, at his age, it is impossible to take the test, but we are making an exception...and I personally threw in a word or two. And I thought it'd be nicer if I told you in person, rather than send a letter. So, basically," Roy concluded, "I'm here to offer Alphonse a shot at the next State Alchemist Exams."

There was a brief pause as Al considered the offer with a sincere earnestness. He knew Izumi-sensei still mildly disapproved of State Alchemists, and that he would be competing with a lot of people triple, or even quadruple his age, but the military would definitely help him find Ed, and whatever memories he had lost. Al looked around the room at everyone's expressions. Winry was looking at him intently, seemingly neutral, while Pinako looked thoughtful. Mustang-san looked expectant, Rose gave him a small smile of reassurance, and Izumi projected an air of reluctant permission. Al leaned forward, out of his chair, and looked General Mustang in the eye.

"I'll do it, even if it's just to bring Ed back. I'll do it." Al set his mouth in a determined line, and Izumi heaved a sigh of exasperation. Al looked over at his teacher, and mildly added, "Unless Izumi-sensei's against it, I guess."

Izumi only shook her head. "I can't say no to eyes like that. Just…go."

General Roy Mustang smiled slightly and retorted, "It's set then. Well, Alphonse, I'm sure you won't regret it. You'll be revisiting some of places for the first time, again. I hope you do manage to bring Fullmetal back, and even if you don't remember who I am right now, you still have my full support."

Even as Mustang voiced these words in distant Rizenpool, Edward Elric was riding a train to Central in hopes of finding people who could help him with his task.

* * *

"Go over and talk to him!" 

"No, are you kidding! Why don't you give him the letter?"

"Oh come on! You're the one who thought he was hot!"

"And you agreed!"

"Doesn't matter! I dare you to go over and say hi!"

Edward Elric sat silently in a cheap restaurant, listening to the girls in the adjacent table bicker over him, of all people. It was a rather irritating experience, as Ed chewed on the straw to his orange juice with a certain level of annoyance. While he was glad that no one had called him short since he had gained a foot or two of height on Earth, he was never able to understand how Colonel Mustang enjoyed flirting with girls. Which, speaking of the person in question, was no longer a Colonel, but a General. Ed had been surprised when he looked over the vast collection of newspapers he had amassed to make up for the time when he was gone.

There was a time difference between the two worlds. While Ed knew that he spent no less than six years across the Gate, only three years had passed here. The papers immediately after his departure from Amestris had broadcasted nation-wide search parties for him, all under the orders of Brigadier General Mustang. After going through several months worth of newspaper headline stories pertaining to his own disappearance, and vast conspiracy theories, Ed had found a headline declaring him officially deceased, and a brief article about his own funeral. Shortly afterwards, there was little major news, except for a few rumors of a reawakening conspiracy, and more recently, disintegrating relations with the country of Xing.

Ed had also discovered from his reading that the State Alchemist exams took place once every two years now, and one was going to take place very soon in Central. Ed was skeptical about taking the exams again – he risked being recognized, but like before, the allure of the national research resources won him over. He had placed a request to take the State Alchemist exam under the name of Edward Hedrick and had dyed his hair black like he had done so three years ago when he was eluding the military. Ed hoped that his huge increase in height, the different hair color, and the six years he had spent on Earth (as compared to the mere three years here), had changed him enough to prevent recognition. Hopefully -

The waitress jolted Ed out of reverie when she finally came, blushing furiously as she gave him his receipt and collected his money. He nodded curtly to her and took his receipt, but the waitress shot the girls in the adjacent table a scathing look before stuffing an envelope into Ed's hands as well, then running off. Ignoring the shrill giggling of the girls, Ed opened the offending letter and scanned its contents. There was nothing worth noting in it, so Ed threw the girls a cold glare, then left the letter on the table. He grabbed his jacket that had accompanied him all the way from London and left the shop for the hotel he was currently taking residence.

On his way back to his temporary residence, Ed found him mind drifting back to what he had seen and done since the last time he had walked down these same streets. As Ed passed a store that hadn't been here when he left, he couldn't help but feel a sense of displacement, a strange feeling that he couldn't quite shake. Amestris was different then he had remembered it, but that wasn't all. _He_ was different. Ed massaged a throbbing temple as he walked, trying not to remember everything he had gone through across the Gate. World War I would probably haunt him forever, and the people in Amestris weren't even aware it happened.

Then was the Gate itself. Ed frowned inwardly as he recalled the strange events that had preceded his return to Amestris, and the woeful lack of information there was for the topic.

The State Alchemist Examination wasn't for another two weeks, so he had to find some form of part-time job until then. He also needed to take care not to be recognized until he had finished the task the Gate had told him to complete. To complete that task, he needed to become a State Alchemist again to gain funding and access to some documents. He needed to find out what in the world the Gate wanted him to do, and being a State Alchemist was the easiest way. The last thing he wanted to do was face Winry, Al, and everyone he used to know again. Then he would have to explain things that he never wanted to remember, and risk hurting them, possibly destroying them, if he failed to…to complete whatever the Gate wanted him to do.

Ed knitted his brow to recall the exact events…

_Ed found himself standing in front of the intimidating black doors, which remained firmly shut._

'_Gate, let me through!'_

_There was a pause, and Ed was about to call out again when a low, multitude or rasping voices replied from within the Gate. _'**_What will you give us in exchange?'_**

'_What do you mean, exchange? My old man traded his life in exchange, didn't he?'_

'**_It was not equivalent to the cost. He was dying already, and what little life that remained was only enough to send you here. What else will you give us?'_**

_Ed thought desperately, 'I'll give you my other limbs, I'll give you my life, I'll give you my soul; I don't care. Just let me through.'_

_There was a pause from the Gate, but the reply came, and it carried a tone of utmost gravity. _

'**_The price is heavy; for you seek to deny the fate you were given. If you choose to pass, then from this point onwards, you belong to us until you complete your task.'_**

'_Task?'_

'_**She will find you, and she will explain. You will bring us a fragment of the Talisman.'**_

'_Wait, Talisman? What talisman? Who is 'she'? How am I supposed find what I need, and how will I give it to you? I cannot complete a task I don't even understand.'_

'_**She will find you, and she will explain. The Talisman of Knowledge. Attain it, and you are freed from our contract. Should you fail…then you and all that you touch perish in Chaos and Fire.'**_

'_Wait, what do they have anything to do with this?'_

'**_Bring us a fragment of the Talisman of Knowledge. You have been chosen, and your fate has been altered for your task.'_**

_The Gates began to open, pulling Ed through_

'_WAIT-!'_

The rest was a hurricane of information regarding almost every possible topic in science and history crammed into his head. It seemed that, every time he saw that blinding, gold light, his brain would reach the limits of information reception. Ed was sure that some of the information the Gate had given him this time was probably more advanced than what Amestris had learned yet.

There was still a part of the information missing, though, and he needed that part most: information regarding the Talisman of Knowledge. After the storm of disorganized information settled in his mind, Ed had found himself waking up in a deserted warehouse, slightly disoriented and plagued by a massive headache, but still entirely uninformed of how to obtain the Talisman.

'_**She will find you, and she will explain**.'_

Ed jolted out his flashback, partly because the words had come to his mind so suddenly, and partly because a speeding car whizzed past just inches away from flattening his foot. His non-automail one. Recomposing himself, Ed crossed the street this time with alert attention, reprimanding himself for the slip in attention. He had let his guard down again, and he learned the hard way that being careless had serious consequences.

* * *

Ed was nearly to his hotel room when he spotted a military cemetery across the street. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, Ed slipped across the street and hopped over the short fence marking off the cemetery grounds. He hadn't visited Hugh's grave in six years, and he was curious if maybe…just maybe, it would be here. 

And indeed it was. A little bit further inwards than Hughes' grave, the former Fullmetal Alchemist stumbled across a simple, gray slab of stone with words engraved elegantly across it. Ed smiled wryly and read them aloud, and his soft words echoed about the deserted cemetery.

"Lieutenant Colonel, Edward Elric, killed in action against a military conspiracy, body never recovered," read the supposed occupant of the grave. "We remember him with mourning and regret his death, and give him the title Fullmetal Alchemist, youngest State Alchemist in all of history."

Roy just had to remind him that he was a dog of the military, even after death. Ed shook his head at the irony, readjusted his overcoat, and left for his hotel room.

Well, at least Mustang had given him a promotion.

* * *

Al, despite being calm and logical by nature, found himself rather nervous and excited at once during the train ride to Central. Of all people, he was sitting in the same compartment as Roy Mustang, who was allegedly one of the most important men in the country. Al knew from what Winry and Izumi told him that General Mustang had been on good terms with him before he had lost him memories, but that didn't stop the thirteen-year-old from feeling rather outclassed as he sat in the private train compartment complete with twin beds and a personal waiter. Mustang was staring silently out of the window and sipping his coffee. Al found himself shifting in his seat uncomfortably, and finally mustered enough courage to ask what had been on his mind. 

"General Mustang...what did you know about Brother?"

Roy put down his cup of coffee slowly and turned to look at the kid sitting behind him. "You mean Fullmetal?" Al nodded. "Well, if I remember right, he was a loud-mouthed, insubordinate, and disrespecting hothead who had a temper about as short as he was. But you know that already. I'll give him some credit though, he did make several breakthroughs in Alchemy. For one, he was the one who defined the quantum theory, he helped discover several new organic compounds, and he was one of the best alchemists the military had when it came to practical combat, despite his lack of experience. But," Roy paused, "you're probably more interested in his work with the Philosopher's Stone."

Al looked down. "No one seems to know anything about it, or they won't tell me no matter how much I ask."

Roy looked out the window again. "For a good reason too. Some things are better off left unsaid."

"But I'll never be able to bring Brother back if I don't even know what happened to him!"

"…When we found you, you were unconscious and lying in an enormous transmutation circle like nothing we had ever seen before. Fullmetal was nowhere in sight, but the residual alchemical energy signature was definitely his."

Al was utterly lost. "Wait, why would I be unconscious? And where did Brother go? What kind of transmutation circle was it?"

Roy was silent.

"General Mustang?"

The older man turned to look at Al, and Al was surprised by the seriousness in Mustang's gaze. Roy lowered his voice so that no one outside could possibly hear, and repeated, "Some things are better left unsaid. You'll have to be content knowing only that there was an enormous military conspiracy, and your brother got involved. We all were. I lost my eye, Hughes lost his life, and your brother…"

Al waited expectantly for an answer.

"…vanished off the face of the earth." Mustang concluded. Al blinked in confusion, processing the information, until something clicked.

"Vanished? Not, 'dead', but vanished?"

Mustang nodded curtly. "Ah. If I knew Fullmetal at all, he's too stubborn to die. If anything, you shouldn't be worrying about bringing him back."

Roy looked out the window again, this time, upwards at the clouds.

"No, if anything, he'll come back on his own. He'll find a way."

Al followed the direction of General Mustang's gaze out the window, into the semi-cloudy skies above.

Mustang was right, in a roundabout way. He could believe in Brother, and Brother would come home. Al could feel it in his bones. Ed would find a way, no matter where, no matter when.

But until then, he would do everything he could to help. He wouldn't stop until Brother was back in flesh and blood. So now, Al concluded determinedly, he had to pass. Then he would become a State Alchemist, and he could learn everything he knew before.

The train stopped and Al looked out the window, and saw the busy station of Central bustling before his eyes. Squaring his shoulders, Al took a deep breath, and prepared to get off the train.

Now, his first test began.

* * *

Ed dried his hair as he stepped out of the shower, wincing as the water that had leaked into his automail threatened to short-circuit the entire device. He had build his own arm and leg back in Germany when he had outgrown his previous set, and had only managed to make a functioning limb by taking Winry's apart and copying her design. 

While his artificial limbs would function perfectly under daily activities, it would be a liability during any fighting he would do during the State Alchemist exams. And ever since he had gotten back to Amestris, the circuits had been degenerating and stalling more than ever. If this kept up, he might lose functionality of his mechanical limbs. Winry's help would certainly come in handy right now.

Ed's eyes softened as he thought of Winry again. He wondered how much she had changed over the past six, no three years that he had been away. And how she would react when she found out he was taller than she was.

No, wait. Ed growled in frustration. She would never find out, because he wasn't going to tell her he was back. '**_Should you fail, you and all that you touch will perish in Chaos and Fire.'_**

Ed shuddered at the thought. Al, Winry, Izumi-sensei, Rose…even Mustang, Hawkeye, Havoc, and everyone else, like Gloria and Elicia, would suffer that fate if he failed. So he wouldn't risk it. They couldn't know. And they wouldn't know.

But he still couldn't seem to beat his heart. And as Ed pulled his clothes back on, he felt the tickets for his train ride in his pocket.

He had bought a ticket back to Rizenpool. Ed didn't know why he hadn't stopped himself, or what he had been thinking, but it was an almost subconscious longing that he couldn't suppress. So now, in his pocket, were tickets for a train ride tomorrow morning, straight to Rizenpool. He couldn't bring himself to tear it up or even through it away.

He wanted to see Al, to see Winry, to see everyone that he had left behind. Ed, though he tried to deny it to its very roots, wanted to make sure they were all okay, before he stepped out of their lives forever. He made excuses with himself, how he was sure he was disguised well enough for them to not recognize him, and that he needed his automail fixed in the month before the State Alchemist exams…but…

Really, Ed missed being home.

So the tickets stayed in his pocket.

* * *

Author's Note:

I haven't updated Final Alchemy for a long, long time, and first of all, I'd like to thank everyone who didn't give up on this story. Secondly, I'll have to apologize for everyone expecting a new chapter that no, this isn't it. As I stated above, I'm rewriting this, because when I looked back on this, I found horrendous grammar mistakes, plot holes, and Aria was a complete Mary Sue. So I'm reforming this, and I hope you'll enjoy the revised version better than the old one. Don't worry, the plot has been changed a bit, so I hope rereading will still be refreshing.

Thank you, and please tell me what you think in a review!

Best of Wishes, your humble authoress  
Karia Ithilai


	2. Before the Exams

Disclaimer: Santa wasn't generous last year, so I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist…If I owned Ed and Roy, I'd die of glee…

_Karia: YAY! Chapter 2 is up!_

_Winry: Good for you, you finally got past the first chapter…NOW GET ON WITH IT_

_Karia: (sticks out tongue) you can't make me!_

_Winry: (grabs wrench) Oh yeah!_

_Karia: (inches away…) Okay! Okay! I'll get on with it! So, my dear readers…Here's chapter TWO!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 2: Before the Exam

Alphonse sat on his comfortable couch and glanced around at the place he was currently living in. Mustang had taken him to the home of another State Alchemist, the home of a woman by the name of Shauna Irvin, the Flower Alchemist. She was the leading Alchemist in the study of biology in plants, but did not touch anything along the lines of human transmutation. Alphonse noted that there were exotic, but beautiful plants in every room of the house, and many were beyond his imagination. For instance, the Apple-Melon tree was the result of transmuting an apple and cantaloupe seed together, then planting it in a special type of soil. This resulted in ENORMOUS apples that were much sweeter than other apples and were a light green inside.

Shauna herself was a single, pleasant, and slightly plump woman in her forties who tended to forget where she put things often. However, she was constantly smiling and her genial demeanor made anyone feel at ease. She gave Al permission to dig through her entire library to study for the exam and even suggested a few books. Then she would go off to her expansive garden behind the house and tamper with her beloved plants.

Al dug into the books with a renewed vigor when he came across many books he had never seen before. Actually, he had read most of them before during the four years when he was a suit of armor, but he lost those memories when he regained his body. He was so absorbed with his reading that he did not notice when Mustang left to attend to the next possible State Alchemist, nor did he notice the huge stack of books piling up around the desk, and he did not notice the slices of apple Shauna left him sitting to the left until four hours later. Then he only noticed because Shauna stuck her head into the library, called him down for dinner, and told him to bring down the plate she left.

Mustang left Alphonse to his reading without a farewell because the boy had automatically tuned out the rest of the world and concentrated only on his reading. Roy noted with a heavy heart how much Al resembled Ed while reading intently and tried to accept that the older Elric was actually gone. However, Roy always had a sliver of hope that Fullmetal would come back because he knew that the long wooden coffin lying under the dirt of Fullmetal's grave was empty. There was no body nestled neatly in a sharp, blue military uniform with braided blonde hair and golden eyes under the fifteen feet of dirt. Rumors of the Fullmetal still circulated Central and proved that the public still held the youngest State Alchemist in its memory, but constantly elaborated on his legendary deeds and exploits.

Roy walked past the cemetery where the Fullmetal and Hughes were buried and forced his gaze not to linger over such a depressing place. He still needed to get to headquarters and sort out the information regarding the candidates for the upcoming State Alchemist Exam. His files regarding the attendees were lying neatly in the manila folder tucked under his arm safely.

The moment he stepped into the office, a torrent of activity overwhelmed him as people in military uniforms like his own scurried about frantically running errands and delivering paperwork. Roy fought through the crowds to reach the sanctuary of his own, private office on the second floor when someone tapped him on the shoulder lightly. He turned to see the face of Lieutenant Colonel Riza Hawkeye glaring in her special, stern way at him.

"General Mustang, you are five minutes late from your meeting with Alphonse Elric. We request your presence at the office immediately."

Sighing exasperatedly, Roy lowered his head in mock surrender to the iron rule of the notorious Hawkeye and followed her to the office. Havoc, Fury, Farman, and Breda were at their customary desks, taking the chance to slack off while Hawkeye was not present. However, once Roy entered the room, they leapt up in a smart salute, and then quickly picked up their pens, papers, and telephones, managing to look busy and escape the horror of Hawkeye's gunshots.

Roy sat down at his nice, mahogany desk and placed the manila folder in front of him. Not that he wanted to sort through the rest of the candidates for the Exam, but Hawkeye was present and he needed something to make him look busy.

He withdrew the stack of neatly arranged papers and began flipping through them with a complete lack of interest.

"Inguan Moshe? Yeslov Hunner? Bryant Osteen? No…they don't look very promising." Roy groaned in boredom as he continued flipping through the stack of profiles. However, after a particularly ugly man name 'Hurtand Smites,' Roy Mustang almost leapt up in surprise. When he flipped the page, he could have sworn he saw the face of the late Fullmetal Alchemist staring back at him. At first, he thought the names matched as well, but the last name was Hedrick, not Elric. However, Roy Mustang could not dismiss the fact that people with sparkling gold eyes and a right arm of automail were not that common. However, the hair color, height, and age did not match that of the short, easily irritable Fullmetal…but…

"Lieutenant Colonel Hawkeye, where is this person, Edward Hedrick?" Roy directed a question at his subordinate. Hawkeye looked up from her paperwork and replied, "Hedrick? Mr. Edward Hedrick called in a few days ago and reported that he would be going to Rizenpool for a new automail before the exam."

Roy grinned to himself and announced to the room. "Purchase a train ticket to Rizenpool. I'm going to pay Mr. Hedrick a special visit."

* * *

Ed stepped off the train at Rizenpool and took a deep breath of the clean, fresh air from underneath his umbrella. The rain was pouring down harder than ever, but that didn't stop Ed from stretching his legs appreciatively before picking up his suitcase and walking down the deserted country road towards Rizenpool. 

However, before long, Ed realized that the usual lights of houses in the distance were not present and the sound of rushing water and muffled shouts wove through the rainy atmosphere. The Rockbell house was still a good fifteen minutes' walk away, so Ed decided to take a detour and check out what was going on in the direction of the river. However, as he neared the banks of the river, the shouts became clearer and Ed could decipher what the men there were saying.

"Someone go get Izumi-san!"

"There's not enough time. The river banks won't hold that long!"

"Damn, run and try anyways. We'll hold best we can before we evacuate. There hasn't been a flood this bad for almost a decade!"

Ed realized that the river was about to flood and dropped his suitcase and umbrella where he was and ran as quickly as he could towards the river. When he got there, he saw many men straining to move sandbags towards the river and build up the banks. Ed would have smirked to himself at the memories this scenario brought back if the situation had been less dire, but, instead he made his way to the man who was apparently in charge and shouted, "Hello! If the river's going to flood, then I think I can be of some help. Tell everyone to move away from the banks. No time to explain!"

The bewildered man stood motionless for a moment before nodding and yelling, "Get away from the banks, NOW! Everyone, someone said they can help!"

Ed scanned the banks to make sure everyone had cleared the edge of the river before clapping his hands together as an alchemy stimulus. Then, pressing both hands palm down into the muddy ground, Ed began the transmutation.

Many of the men working to move sandbags watched in awe as a solid wall of earth seemed to rise magically from the edges of the river and effectively stop the flow of water. By the time Ed stood up, many of them were crowding around him with words of thankfulness and the leader came over and thumped him on the shoulder merrily.

"Young man, that was alchemy there, wasn't it? Would you happen to be a State Alchemist?"

Ed smiled and replied, "No, just a passing stranger."

The man smiled and said, "About eight years ago, a wonderful alchemist called Izumi said almost the same thing. You should meet her; she's at the Rockbell house right now. She took the two Elric brothers as her apprentices too, and, judging from their reputations, you can just guess how good she is!"

Ed shudderedat the mention of Izumi-sensei, but remembered that they currently did not know of his identity, so he nodded and asked, "Would you happen to know where the Rockbell house is?"

A man laughed heartily and said, "You must really be a stranger to this area! That Winry Rockbell is one of the most talented automail mechanics in the world! People from everywhere come to get her automail. Their house is behind that hill way over there." Though Ed knew where the house was by heart, he still looked in the direction the man pointed and nodded gratefully.

Waving as he left, Ed returned to pick up his suitcase and umbrella, which he had abandoned to help the villager's plight. Trudging through the mud and slop, Ed made his way to the Rockbell residence.

After fifteen long minutes of walking, the familiar sight of the Rockbell residence loomed into view and Ed had to strain to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across his face. Walking up to the porch, he knocked sharply on the door and heard muffled talking and footsteps leading to the door before the door itself swung open. Ed found himself staring into the beautiful, sapphire eyes of Winry before he found himself lurched backwards by the momentum of the girl lunging at him while hugging him around the waist. However, what she screamed was clear and Ed heard it with a moment of shock…

"ED!"

Winry hugged him blindly before he said, "Stop, I…can't…breathe…" Winry finally let go before realizing with shock that it wasn't 'Ed' that she had hugged.

Auntie Pinako appeared at the doorway and shouted, "Winry! What do you think you're doing? Leaping on random strangers like that!"

Winry, now, was blushing a deep crimson when she realized she had hugged the wrong person and immediately began muttering apologies. Ed, relieved she hadn't recognized him, helped her up and told her she didn't mind.

After he was inside and the strange greeting was cleared up and forgotten, everyone was sitting around the dinner table and listening to Ed's recounting of his tale.

"So, after I helped those guys at the river, I came here and this girl leapt on me. I was surprised that she knew my name immediately."

Winry cocked a confused look in his direction. "I did?"

Ed nodded and said, "Yes, you called Ed as you jumped, right? Oh, by the way, I forgot to introduce myself. Edward Hedrick, but people call me Ed for short."

Izumi shook her head slowly with a slight smile and said, "That's a coincidence. You even have the same name."

Ed nearly blew his cover, but caught himself just in time before he said, "Who has the same name?"

Almost immediately, Ed felt a heavier mood settle over the room and mentally reprimanded himself for saying that. He kept forgetting the he was supposed to be dead.

It was Rose that answered with her sad, quiet voice. "Two brothers used to live here, and I think they were quite famous. I knew that they were nice people. They helped me stand up and walk, and the older one helped me find my voice again. Their names were Edward and Alphonse Elric. The older one is the one who has the same name as you: Ed. The younger one is currently at Central to take the State Alchemist Exam."

Ed almost smiled at Rose's impression of him and his brother, but involuntarily asked, "What happened to the older one, the one who has the same name?"

Rose's eyes immediately filled with tears as she said, "He's gone."

A heavy pound on the table caught everyone's attention as Winry stood up forcefully with tears on her cheeks and an obvious anger in her eyes. "Ed's not gone! He's coming back! He has to! Don't you ever believe otherwise!"

Pinako began an attempt at reason, but Winry cut her short as she left her chair, stormed up to her room, and slammed the door. Izumi shook her head and continued the answer.

"Let her go. Anyways, the two brothers were deeply involved with something called the Philosopher's Stone. We don't know the details of what happened because we found Alphonse in his ten-year-old body with absolutely no memories of what had happened since the day that he tried to transmute his mother. However, we assumed that, seeing Al couldn't remember anything that happened, Ed sacrificed his own life and the four years they spent in search of the stone to transmute Al into Al's original body. And, now, Al is devoting himself to bring Ed back."

Ed couldn't help but smile slightly to himself before rising from his chair and picking up his suitcase. "I see. Therefore, the older brother accomplished the first successful human transmutation at the age of sixteen when so many other alchemists failed for hundreds of years. And, now, Al, the younger one, is trying for the same goal." Ed shook his head and muttered under breath before readdressing those in the room. "Well, thank you for the background history, but there was another reason why I came to this house. Could we get Winry to make me a new automail before I leave for Central? That was the reason I came in the first place."

Pinako's eyes brightened as she saw Ed take off his heavy overcoat from London and show them his poorly crafted metal arm. "Well, Mr. Hedrick, I think she could, but someone has to comfort her first. She's probably in her room brooding again once we brought up Edward, and heaven knows how touchy the girl is on that subject."

Rose got up from her seat and said, "I'll go." However, she stopped when Ed held out his hand and said, "No, let me. It's equivalent exchange, after all. I'll see what I can do to get my automail upgraded." And, with a smirk, he strode upstairs towards Winry's room.

Almost everyone in the room could have sworn that he looked exactly like Ed with that all too familiar expression.

Winry heard a sharp knock on her bedroom door and quickly wiped the tears away. Smoothing out her shirt, she screwed up her face into an annoyed expression before opening to door. She found herself looking into the golden eyes of the guest before he forced his way in.

"A-ah, E-Ed…ward…why are you here?" Winry asked as she hastened to be polite. Ed looked at her with a strange, rising feeling in his chest before he sighed and decided on the best way to cheer her up. It might feel very awkward talking about himself, but there wasn't much choice.

"Winry Rockbell, you seriously need to get over yourself... Geez, you've been moping for three years, so don't you think it's time to move on?"

Ed inwardly smiled as he saw the familiar flickers of annoyance flash through Winry's eyes. "You machine geek – not cute, not sexy, and what makes you think you deserve an alchemist as talented as him?"

Alright, that did it. The annoyance in Winry's eyes immediately converted to wrath as she grabbed her trusty wrench and leapt onto the annoying person in front of her. For some reason, her brain automatically supplemented Ed's face in place of the stranger's. Stranger or no, he had crossed a sacred line and would pay for it…dearly.

Once everyone downstairs heard the pounding and muffled cursing, they knew that, whatever Ed said to her, he was getting the beating of his life. The scenario brought a little more life to the house as the stranger seemed to do a perfect reenactment of Ed's side in the Ed & Winry squabbles.

They promptly saw a door open, someone, badly bruised, be flung out, and the door slammed shut as quickly as it had opened. Close inspection showed that the poor victim was indeed Ed and many deep imprints that looked _remarkably_ like blows from Winry's widely feared wrench graced practically every square inch of exposed skin.

"Owwww…that evil witch…" Ed picked himself up and dragged himself back to the dinner table. "I'll daresay she's not brooding anymore, but she hits harder than any girl I have EVER come across. Dumb machine geek." To prove that Winry could still hear from her room, a wrench sailed through the air and whacked Ed squarely in the back of the head, earning a few muttered curses from Ed. Rubbing the back of his head, Ed grinned at Pinako and said, "I guess this means I get my automail, eh?"

* * *

Three days later, Roy Mustang stepped off the train at Rizenpool with a handwritten map clutched in his right hand. He remembered Fullmetal mentioning something about his hometown being quiet and boring, but, as Roy glanced about in all directions, Ed never told him it was practically all countryside. Come to think of it, Roy had come here once before, but hadn't really paid attention to the landscape due to the direness of the situation. Shrugging, the Flame Alchemist walked down the deserted dirt road towards the thriving little village. 

After weaving through almost endless countryside plains, Roy finally reached the haven of the Rockbell residence and knocked sharply on the door. Pinako answered the call and commented once she saw General Mustang, "Well, you sure have been visiting often! We have a lot of guests recently, don't we?"

Roy, however, got straight to the point and asked hurriedly, "Is Edward Hedrick here?"

Another face appeared behind Pinako's and the youth with black hair and gold eyes called out, "Yes, he would be me…G-GENERAL MUSTANG!"

Roy nodded politely towards the extremely shocked candidate for the State Alchemist who had currently tipped over his chair. In addition, from the corner of his eye, he noted that Ed was missing his right automail arm, which was, undoubtedly, why he was at the Rockbell place to start with. "Hello Mr. Hedrick. My files reported that you would be taking the State Alchemist Exam in another week, so I decided to pay a call to you and warn you that while you are here, you're losing time to study for the exams."

Ed, who had recovered from the shock, muttered something along the lines of 'bastard colonel' under breath before he said, "I think that getting an arm that functions properly is more important than studying right now, and I'm sure the exam is a piece of cake." Ed wanted to add that he had already passed the exam nine years ago, but that would completely blow his incognito identity.

Roy Mustang almost smiled when he heard what Edward Hedrick muttered under breath, and openly smirked when he heard Ed's response. He had made a hypothesis when he saw the profile at the Central Headquarters, but now he had confirmed that the personalities matched as well. If only he could confirm a few more things…

Roy's train of thoughts was interrupted by Winry's arrival from the basement, where she worked. The girl was holding a brand new automail arm that seemed very lightweight considering that she was holding it in one hand with ease. Ed also shifted his surprise to Winry as he asked, "You're done already? Doesn't automail usually take almost two weeks to make?"

Winry shook her head and said, "It was a lot faster because you're body is already used to automail. It won't reject the metal, so I could make a model that didn't deal with rehabilitation. Also, I would be one of the best automail mechanics in the world, so you barely have to deal with the pain of reconnecting nerves!"

Ed raised an eyebrow questionably before he found Winry already by his side with an evil glint in her eyes. "Um…AAARRRGGH!"

Without warning or even an operation table, Winry jammed her newest automail design onto Ed's shoulder socket (which she had redesigned and adjusted). Ed howled in pain before realizing the feeling of reconnecting nerves faded as quickly as it had come and the brand new arm could function properly. "Wow…I wonder how you did this. Usually, there's this horrible feeling after it reconnects, but I barely felt anything."

Winry grinned evilly. "I'll be adding the price of my specially made nerve sedative to the price of automail. It's going to cost you a pretty penny!"

Ed groaned and asked, "How much? Can I pay you after the exams from my State Alchemist funds?"

Roy interjected. "Oh, you're pretty confident, now aren't you? We had to make the exam easier than ever before because, last year, not a single candidate passed the first round."

"Oh, it got easier than last time? Then I shouldn't have to worry!" Ed sat back down and leaned in his chair, testing the joints of his newest automail limb. Suddenly, a jarring shock ran through the house as the door flew open against the push of a heavy-booted foot.

Three men armed with a variety of guns and weaponry stood menacingly at the doorway. The one in the middle appeared to be the leader and announced in a raucous, grating voice, "General Mustang, surrender yourself now! We have the house surrounded with a score of our men and you are hopelessly outnumbered! Surrender or die!"

Roy Mustang narrowed his eyes, glanced over at Ed, who nodded slightly and caught Izumi-sensei's eye, and replied, "What do you want with us? Attacking military personnel is punishable by life imprison-!"

A bullet shot past inches away from Mustang's head and embedded itself in the table behind him. However, just as the man was about to speak another threat, Mustang shouted, "NOW!"

Ed and Izumi clapped their hands together at the same time and a wall of solid earth came up in from of every window and door to the house, effectively locking the terroists out. Mustang took the chance to slip on his gloves and bark out an order. "Alchemists stay here. Everyone else, get to the cellar and bolt the door! It mightget…well, messy."

However, both Izumi and Roy glanced over at Ed and wondered how he performed a transmutation without a circle. People who could do that were very rare and, Roy noted, the Fullmetal had been one of the few that could do that. Now there was more evidence to support his hypothesis.

Izumi got up and said, "General Mustang, Edward Hedrick, who wants to get rid of the thugs outside?"

Roy shrugged. "I'll just toast them slightly. They're here because of me, so I think it would only be fair if I cleaned up the situation. Edward Hedrick, could you please make a small hole in one of your earth barriers to the outside? Thank you."

Promptly altering the air that connected his glove to the hole through one of the mounds of earth, Mustang made sure to change all the atmosphere surrounding the house was pure oxygen. He was about to snap before Ed clapped his hands together again and pressed them to the ground, saying, "I'm just turning the outside of the house to metal to save us from burning to death. Now you can snap, Col – um, I mean, General Mustang."

Roy nodded and noted the small slip of the tongueEd made before snapping. A line of flame happily followed the trail of oxygen and screams of anguish soon radiated from the severely toasted foes. Izumi clapped her hands together and changed the house to normal, and then went down to the cellar to tell the rest of the occupants in the house that it was safe to come out now.

Ed walked to the door and clapped his hands together, then pressed them onto the door. A small hole appeared at eye level and Ed squinted through the view hole before announcing, "Alright, coast is clear, so we can head out." Roy narrowed his eyes in silent suspicion of his own hypothesis because of the newly discovered discrepancy: The Fullmetal would never be as cautious as to check for a clear coast before exiting a building. He would have just barged out in a conspicuous and dangerous way.

Soon, every terrorist assaulting the house was safely bundled in thick ropes transmuted from the front lawn. Roy stood over the apparent leader with a smirk as he said, "You see, if you want to take over a house with three state leveled alchemists in it, you should at least bring something more advanced than simple artillery. You even told us how many men you brought and where they were, amateur."

The terrorist ground his teeth, but said nothing because he knew that would only make the situation worse.

* * *

Ed did not really have a choice when Roy told him to go to Central with him immediately. Because Winry already fixed his automail, Ed didn't have an excuse to stay. He sighed at the fact that he had to leave his hometown only four days after he arrived, but the sooner he got to central, the better. However, this time, he actually resented leaving and stared back at the small village out the window until it was out of sight. 

Now he had to spend three whole days in the first-class compartment with the bastard Colonel, no, General Mustang. Ed sighed and redid his braided hair before leaning back in his seat and asking a casual question.

"Mustang…"

"General Mustang, mind you."

"Whatever… _General_ Mustang, exactly how will the third round of the exam take place?"

"You mean the practical use portion?"

"What else could I mean!"

"You will be paired against another candidate taking the exam and will battle through the use of alchemy. Judges will watch the fight and grade you on a scale from one to ten. Only those who score a 9.5 and higher become State Alchemists."

Ed whistled. "That's a pretty narrow range."

"It takes place in the form of a tournament, so those who advance more have a greater chance of increasing their score. I told you that the exam would be difficult, didn't I?"

"Oh, I never said anything about myself. Perhaps you should see my alchemy before you make conclusions."

"I will be one of the judges."

"Just great… now I already have one of the judges on my back."

"You need to think ahead more."

"SHUT UP! Er, apologies General Mustang. It's a personal thing…"

Mustang smiled quietly to himself. The personalities certainly matched. All he needed was to make sure Edward 'Hedrick' became a State Alchemist now…

* * *

A/N: 

So, whaddya think! Next chapter will be the exams, and a new character will be introduced!

I'm practically falling asleep at my keyboard… ugh… summer studying kills the mind…

So R&R! Reviews make the author happy!

(if u flame me, I will get Roy to use his alchemy on u… ) Equivalent exchange, no?)

and one more thing:

REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!


	3. State Alchemist Exams

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is a pea-sized brain and a beat up laptop to type with...

_Karia: HAAAAAH! YES! THE THIRD CHAPTER IS UP! WOOT!_

_Roy: Calm down and start the frickin story_

_Karia: YES! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! THIS IS A RECORD!_

_Roy: We're waiting…_

_Karia: MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA! By the way, Roy, I stole your coffee this morning…_

_Roy: oh…twitch (snap! BOOM!)_

_Karia: sizzle Ow… all right…ugh…here's the next chapter…_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 3: The State Alchemist Exams

Havoc stuck his head through the door in Shauna's library. He looked to the left. He looked to the right. No sign of Alphonse Elric anywhere. He scanned the room again and noticed a muffled sound coming from a stack of books on the ground.

Digging through the mess, he finally unearthed the sleeping Alphonse Elric, who looked very rumpled and was sleeping like a doornail. Havoc shook the boy awake roughly and watched the drowsy Alphonse Elric rub his eyes groggily before realization dawned and Alphonse Elric leapt to his feet in surprise.

"2nd Lieutenant Havoc, Sir! Sorry! I must have fallen asleep while reading again!"

"Well, luckily you got some sleep because you must have forgotten."

"Forgotten what?"

"You forgot that today's the State Alchemist Exam."

"WHAT!"

"Yes, and I need to take you to Central Headquarters before 9:00 in the morning or else you'll miss the first half and the interview!"

"Well, then we've got to go! It's already 8:30A M!"

Havoc followed Al as the kid grabbed his coat and pulled it on as he dashed down the stairs with thumps punctuating every step. When Al reached the door, he called, "BYE MRS. SHAUNA! THANKS FOR LETTING ME USE YOUR WONDERFUL LIBRARY!"

Then he was out the door and tearing open, the door to Havoc's car, completely awake and filled with energy. Havoc sighed and got into the driver's seat, feeling a severe need for another cigarette hitting him again.

* * *

Ed woke up in the military dorm of the Central Headquarters Left Wing at 8:45 in the morning. Not quite awake, Ed pulled himself out of bed and dragged his feet to the bathroom before realizing what day it was. 

"HOLY SHIT! THE EXAM!"

* * *

Roy Mustang, along with the rest of the judges who were to prevent cheating, stood in the room where the candidates were supposed to be taking the exam, but noticed that three participants were missing from the scene: Alphonse Elric, Edward Hedrick, and Aria Shadowen. 

He noted with displeasure that all three of those people were in his jurisdiction and was about the order the Exam to start without them when a sudden pounding and yelling announced the arrival of one of the belated test-takers. It turned out to be a sweating and heavily embarrassed Alphonse Elric who stood panting at the door.

Mustang gave him a severe look and told him to get to his seat when, suddenly, another series of pounding coupled with cursing and yelling grew steadily louder. The owner of that series of noises soon became clear as well when the door flew open again and Ed burst inside, effectively knocking Alphonse into the nearest wall.

There was a confused scramble at the door before the two people sorted themselves out and made their embarrassed way to their respective seats. Now, the only missing person was Aria Shadowen, a girl registered with black hair and red eyes at the age of twenty.

Roy recounted the number of people in the room, but found Aria's seat already occupied by the girl. "When did you…"

Aria's eyes flickered before she answered, "I came in as the two idiots were scuffling by the door. There's no need to inquire any further, General Mustang."

The glint in her eyes seemed to threaten him in a cold, demurely frightening way, and, despite all of his experience on the battlefield, Roy Mustang felt a slight tremor in his limbs.

General Hakuro, seeing all the participants were present, stood and announced, "Alright! The State Alchemist Exams will now BEGIN! There will be no more talking between participants or judges once the exam papers are out. You will use only the provided writing utensils to answer."

The judges passed out the exam papers and the timer started with a resonating 'DING'. All heads were bowed and the only sound was the scratching of frantic pencils and the rhythmic, unnerving ticking of the timer.

* * *

Alphonse skimmed over the questions and sighed quietly in silent relief. The questions were hard, but they were not near as hard as he had feared. He did notice, with slight discomfort, that most of the people in the room were already in their thirties and forties except for that Edward Hedrick, who strongly reminded him of Ed, and Aria Shadowen, the girl with the scary, vivid red eyes.

* * *

Ed flipped over his coversheet and nearly laughed aloud at the questions on the sheet. They were even easier than the test he took nine years before, but many of the same questions remained. Ed hardly had to think as he scribbled furiously to finish all of the questions regarding alchemy. Twenty minutes later, out of the entire three hours, Ed had finished all of the questions and was starting on the essay when the scraping of a chair caught his attention. 

The strange girl who had suddenly appeared in her seat was finished with her entire exam, and was turning it in to a very surprised General Mustang. Normally, it took thirty minutes just to write all of the answers to the hundred-question test and write the two-page essay, but she seemed to radiate composure and calm as she turned in her paper.

Five minutes later, Ed finished his and turned it in as well to General Mustang, who gave him a look that clearly said, 'What is with people and finishing early this year?'

Returning to his seat Ed slumped onto his desk and did…well, absolutely nothing for the next two and a half hours in boredom. He noted that Al finished an hour after he did, which was a good sign that his younger brother did well, having taken up only half the time. More and more tests came in as others in the room finished theirs and sat in their seats, motionless, waiting for the timer to ring.

Time seemed to inch by as Ed stared drowsily at the timer, willing it to ring already. He watched the second hand tick by in slow motion as he counted down the remaining seconds in his head. The silence and boredom was killing him until the sharp 'ding!' of the timer finally freed him from being quiet. Forgetting where he was, Ed stood up and stretched, then pumped a fist into the air as he cried, "FINALLY! THAT BLASTED TEST TOOK SO --…"

He immediately became silent as every pair of eyes in the room, except those few people that had fallen asleep, fixated on him.

Roy Mustang, to save Ed from his plight, stood, cleared his throat, and announced, "The first round of the Written Exam is now over. Would all candidates turn in the remaining tests and head for the Interview Waiting Room?"

Ed gulped and made his way towards the door along with the rest of the test-takers when a sudden clap drew his attention. He turned just in time to see the strange girl with red eyes and black hair, the one who finished before he did, disintegrate in a flash of gold and blue light. It was undoubtedly alchemy, but even the State Alchemists in the judges' panel had no idea what she had done.

Whoever she was, Ed had a gut feeling that she was going to be one of the selected State Alchemists this year.

* * *

Aria Shadowen had used her special form of alchemy in the test-taking room to move as quickly as she could from the Written Examination room, which was all the way in the East Wing of Central Headquarters, to the Interview Waiting Room, which was in the South Wing. 

Since she was the first one there, even before the Judges' Panel reached the room, a military officer told her to sit in the first seat of the Waiting line for the interview before locking her inside. She sat in solitary peace until the footsteps of another person approached with increasing volume. The door to the Waiting Room creaked open and someone with black hair, gold eyes, and a right arm of automail poked his head in and asked, "Is this the waiting room?"

Aria raised an eyebrow before nodding and motioning at the next seat.

Ed felt slightly uncomfortable sitting beside the strange girl with black hair and red eyes, but smiled his trademark smirk and said, "Pleased to meet you. My name's Edward Hedrick…You are…"

Aria turned her head slightly to look him in the face before scrutinizing him and replying, "My name is Aria Shadowen. In equivalent exchange for knowing my real name, shouldn't you have told me yours…Mr. Edward…Elric?"

Ed leapt up in surprise before asking, "How did you…?"

Aria sat back in her chair before closing her eyes and saying, "I have my ways. Don't worry, I won't tell unless you want me to. You probably have reasons for not revealing your identity."

Ed sat back down nervously and wondered how many other people could tell his identity just by glancing at him. Probably very, few because something told him normal people couldn't disappear with alchemy and he had never met anyone from this world had black hair and red eyes. Actually, come to think of it, he never met anyone from the other side of the gate with that specific combination of hair and eye color.

Little by little, the rest of the people came into the waiting room and the place became far more crowded. Ed noted that Al was eighth in line. Finally, uniformed military personnel came out of the door in front of him and called Aria in. She stood up promptly, turned to go, and Ed noticed she was wearing nothing but black with gold trim. The strange outfit seemed as foreign as her eye and hair colors, looked maneuverable and practical, but not remotely fashionable.

Ed watched the clock tick by as he waited for his interview. Ten entire minutes passed before the door opened and Aria walked out, completely unchanged as she told him he could go in.

Ed took a breath and entered the room, only to be greeted by the familiar gold, spirally chair under that white spotlight. The same panel of judges sat across from him behind the row of mahogany counters, all wearing solemn expressions. Ed, without hesitation, sat down in the chair and the interview began.

"Mr. Edward Hedrick, why are you trying to become a State Alchemist?"

"In the long term, because I promised myself I would do something that would benefit the country. In the way of practicality, because it pays well."

"Hah, now don't you have a sense of humor. Well then, do you have any background history pertaining to alchemy? Where did you study and who taught you?"

"I studied at home and my teacher was the library."

"Ah, self study, eh? Well, you should know that only one or two people pass the exam every year. Then, do you think you have what it takes to become a State Alchemist?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Yes."

"Why did you pause?"

"I was considering whether I should tell the truth or be modest." The interviewer seemed to take slight interest in that and recorded it on his journal. Then he proceeded to ask a few more seemingly irrelevant questions before coming back to the topic of alchemy.

"When you use alchemy, how long does it take you to make your alchemy circle?"

"About two seconds."

"TWO SECONDS?"

"Yes, two seconds."

"Phew. You have one of the fastest speeds I have ever come across. What materials do you prefer to work with?

"I prefer metals."

"And when did you start studying alchemy?"

"I began at the age of eight." The moment those words left Ed's mouth, he could have slapped himself for it. The slight slip might hint them of his real identity because, nine years before, that was the exact same answers he gave before becoming the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"Eight? You could understand alchemy at eight?" The interviewer raised a questioning eyebrow at the knowledge that Ed started at such a young age.

"Yes."

"You seem to be quite talented at alchemy."

"Thank you." Ed nodded and looked down. He had forgotten himself shortly during the interview and gave more information than he intended to give.

"Alright, Mr. Edward Hedrick, you can call the next person in. Dismissed."

Ed glanced at the clock and found he had only used up five minutes for the entire interview. He wondered how Aria had taken up double the amount of time he had, but still left the room without question. He opened the door and called the next person in line, an elderly man who must have been well into his fifties, into the room. As he exited the Waiting Room, he noticed Alphonse looking rather uncomfortable, crammed between two older men who were easily three heads taller than he was. Ed held back the desire to wave hello and walked past without a glance.

The clock ticked by slowly as every person in the room took their interview and came out: some confident, some nervous, some mentally shaken.

* * *

In his office, Roy Mustang finally finished grading the examination papers and leaned back in his chair with a tired sigh. If it was not for Hawkeye, he would not have graded them until tomorrow morning, but he did not have a choice at her gun tip. However, the results had been remotely surprising when he found that two people had made full marks on their papers: the girl Aria Shadowen and Edward Hedrick. Both people had finished first during the examination and their backgrounds were unclear. 

Mustang rubbed his eyes tiredly and checked his schedule before leaving the room for another cup of coffee.

* * *

The next morning dawned and, this time, not a soul was late for the important event. They knew that the exam consisted of a fighting tournament, and everyone made sure to appear in prime condition. Ed, however, was still wearing the clothes he had brought back from Munich despite the fact that they limited some of his movements. He hadn't gotten around to purchasing new clothing except for his pajamas and some spare underclothing yet, so he would just use alchemy to clean and automatically iron his clothes everyday. 

All the participants were gathered on the parade ground outside, but weapons had been strictly forbidden. The rules were simple: fight until one contestant admits defeat or is completely immobilized. Killing your opponent will make you lose a tenth of a point. Do not use any form of weaponry except those you can alchemize from the provided materials. Losers do not necessarily lose all possibility of becoming State Alchemists and winners do not automatically become State Alchemists.

Ed glanced around the parade ground and noticed that many things that a common person would probably overlook. Based on the feedback from walking over the ground, Ed realized that parts of the parade ground were different materials. The northwest was a compound mixture of many different types of stone, the southern portion was mostly metal, there was a hint of wood in the northeastern part, and the center was apparently ice. Above all of this was a thin layer of cement to hide the true texture of the materials. A good alchemist would immediately know where to go before he fought to gain the correct materials.

There was much less participants today than yesterday because about the judges had eliminated about half the candidates in the test or the interview. Now, about fifteen alchemists, sixteen including him, meandered around the parade ground, waiting for some form of instruction.

A sharp voice drew everyone's attention to a raised podium at the far end of the open square and a clear voice called out, "All participants please proceed to the judges' panel for your respective numbers."

Instantly, every person present started moving towards the judges' elevated seats, where an uniformed military officer stood next to a simple, wooden box on ground level.

"Please fall in line and draw a number from the box." Everyone did so, and drew out a simple white card with a number on it. Ed drew number 15. He looked around and saw that Alphonse had drawn number 7 and Aria had drawn number 2.

"The rounds will proceed in this fashion: Number 1 against number 2 will be the first match. Then, number 3 will battle number 4. Number 5 against number 6, and all other fights will proceed in that order. After the first round ends, the winner of the first match will fight the winner of the second, and the winner of the third will fight the winner of the fourth, and so forth. That will be the second round. The third and fourth round will proceed in the same way. The last two competitors have an optional match and will automatically receive a bonus of half a point added to their score, or, if they are less than half a point away from full score, they will receive the full points."

"Now, would the first two competitors please remain on the grounds? All other participants please leave the arena and take a seat on the stands provided."

Ed shook his head at the way they made it sound like a wrestling tournament or something, but refrained from commenting. Not that there was anyone to comment to, so he just chose a seat and sat. However, a very tall person sat straight in front of him, blocking his view of the fight. Ed tapped the huge man on the shoulder and inquired, "Could we switch seats? I'm sorry for the trouble, but I can't see over your head."

The man turned his ugly face around and glared disdainfully at Ed, who tried hard not to show his disgust. Without warning, the man spit in Ed's face with contempt as he said, "Ch, you brat, I don't see why General Mustang chose you as a favorite. I'll crush you in the first fight!"

Ed, in instant reaction, twisted his head toward the right and dodged the disgusting artillery the crude man fired at him. Ed narrowed his eyes in suppressed anger, but then noticed the number card pinned to the man's shirt was number 16. That would mean they fought in the very first round. Ed fell silent before muttering softly, "Alright, I'll see if youcan even lay a scratch on me in the match." He clapped his hands together and, immediately, the seat of the man in front of him sank just enough to let him see the match clearly.

"Aria Shadowen versus Yeslov Hunner, BEGIN!" Ed looked up just in time to see Aria and a tall, lanky, rather sickly looking man with a drooping mustache and shoulder length hair. He coughed slightly and dust came out of his nostrils. Aria raised a questioning eyebrow before clapping her hands together. Yeslov immediately took a step back in caution, but whipped out a piece of chalk as he did. With surprising speed for a man who seemed so sickly, he scribbled a simple transmutation circle on the floor. Immediately, crazily sharp spikes of ice (they were in the center of the parade ground) came flying upward and Aria could not have time to draw a transmutation circle. However, Ed watched in fascination as Aria clapped her hands together just as he could and _TRANSMUTED HERSELF_! Ed, who was a very talented alchemist to start with, immediately saw the decomposition factor in it, but she was reconstructing her own body in the southern portion of the grounds, right above the underground block of metal.

Ed rose to his feet in surprise when he saw the alchemy reaction Aria had done on her own body. Normally, it was impossible to decompose a human body, and then reconstruct it somewhere else without severe and fatal damage to the person. What Aria had done so easily could be classified as human transmutation done to her, which was technically legal if Aria did not affect the lives of any other people and could easily manage it to perfection. Only, she used her own, LIVING body as basis for the materials and merely moved all her particles from one place to another.

Of course, Yeslov did not know this, and many of the judges thought it was a trick of the eye. Ed sat back down slowly and wondered what had just happened. He scrutinized Aria, who was standing calmly where she had landed, and noticed that her hair and clothing seemed to be moving with the wind. The only problem was that there WAS no wind today. In addition, as Ed turned his attention to the ground below her, he realized with a jolt that something was seriously wrong with her: she had no shadow.

* * *

Yeslov constructed a crazily huge alchemy array on the ground and began to alchemize, well, apparently nothing. Aria watched silently as Yeslov activated the alchemy circle to its fullest before collapsing in a panting heap on the floor. Aria began walking towards him, careful not to go inside the alchemy array, when, without warning, she shuddered and coughed up a mouthful of vibrantly red blood. Falling on one knee, Aria's shoulders shuddered as more and more blood found its way to the cement floor. 

Yeslov stood up shakily with an evil grin on his face and strode towards her. "I win. You see, when I become a State Alchemist, I will request the title Disease Alchemist. I can alchemize the germs you're immune system is fighting to ones that are all but fatal to you. Of course, I usually use my skills in practice as a doctor, but they are very effective in fights. Right now, a special virus I personally created should be destroying all your internal organs. Unless I choose to cure you, you have about three minutes to live. So forfeit and I'll cure you."

Yeslov bent down as Aria made a muffled sound and asked, "What's that? I couldn't make out you're forfeit." As soon as he saw her face, he knew something was incredibly wrong.

Aria smiled coldly at him as she clapped her hands together and alchemized a prison of metal spikes from the floor. They gave Yeslov no room to move at all, because the slightest twitch would drive twenty stakes into him. Aria rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her lips.

"I said, 'do you think you're alchemy could really defeat me that easily?' The moment I saw your transmutation circle, I knew you were going to alchemize microscopic germs inside my body, so I altered my immune system to combat it. The blood is alchemized from my saliva. It was a trap to lure you here, idiot. You should know that you never approach a wounded opponent unless you know they are dead. Or, if they're completely immobilized, like you."

Aria clapped her hands together and planted them on the ground. Immediately, the spikes began to move closer together and Yeslov, who only had his head protruding from the forest of spears, screamed in agony as they pressed against his skin. Aria removed her hands from the floor and calmly replied, "You can forfeit, or become a pincushion." Yeslov immediately forfeited with a mortified plea and Aria clapped her hands once more, allowing all the spikes to fall back into the ground where they came from. She began exiting the arena before she turned back and added, "By the way, I have not used a single technique I specialize in for this match. I do not believe in revealing trade secrets against trash like you. You alchemize bacteria, but I alchemize everything. People at home called me…the Shadow Alchemist."

* * *

Ed shuddered at the thought of having to fight her. He saw the transmutation circle Yeslov drew and could tell it was for alchemizing microscopic organisms, but he had no idea how Aria could tell exactly which one of the two-hundred-thousand possible diseases it was. In order to do that, she must have memorized every single one. Ed shuddered. He wouldn't have to fight her until the last, optional round, but he worried about Al's safety. Yeslov was currently lying in a crumpled heap, gibbering with fright. 

No one else had seen it, but Ed saw the alchemy Aria performed on Yeslov himself, and he knew it was a strictly forbidden technique. Aria had forced Yeslov's mental wavelengths from normal frequency to that of utter terror.

Indeed, the Shadow Alchemist.

More fights progressed and Ed sighed with relief when Alphonse passed his round without a scratch. Surprisingly, his younger brother had fought an alchemist that specialized in martial arts and weaponry, so Al had changed the entire parade ground to a solid block of shimmering diamond. The good thing about that was the alchemist did not understand that material so could not decompose it and reconstruct it into another. In addition, diamond requires a great amount of energy to alchemize, but makes extremely heavy, brittle weapons. Few people actually understood diamond because of the rarity in this world, but Ed and Alphonse had learned about it in their younger days from their father's detailed notes. In a slight memory pang, Ed remembered how common diamond was on the other side of the gate. Though it was still highly prized, there was over a hundred times more there than in this world.

Ed watched all the fights go by until he realized that his turn had come around.

* * *

A/N:

YAY! i know it sucked, but another chapter is down, and i only have...A LOT MORE TO GO!

in the fourth chapter, there will be much more advance in the plotline and the character 'Aria' will be further introduced. i don't care if you dont like her, she's a major part of this story and will stay that way.

also, in the next chapter, i'll try to add some EdxWinry. Aria has absolutely no affect on their relationship, but that will be explained in the next chapter as well...

as you see, the next chapter is going to be _**PRETTY**_ long...and might take me awhile...since..

I'M GOING ON VACATION FOR TWO WEEKS! (so i won't be able to update for two entire weeks, but bear with me and i promise a VERY LONG AND NICE fourth chapter...)

One more thing:

REVIEW

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REVIEW

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REVIEW!


	4. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: I AM BROKE, so don't even try to sue me. All characters belong to whoever owns FMA, but Aria is my own creation and ED IS MINE! STAY AWAY!

_Karia: I CANNOT BELIEVE I MADE IT TO CHAPTER 4!_

_Aria: Well, you did__。。。_

_Karia: Oh, SING FOR JOY!_

_Aria: plugs ears Please don't._

_Karia: sob Fine, be that way. Anyways, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present: FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, CHAPTER FOUR!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 4: Secrets Revealed

"Edward Hedrick versus Hurtand Smites!"

Ed, upon hearing his name, leapt from his seat and landed in the arena with a graceful back flip, right over the head of the huge man sitting in front who had tried to spit in his face. Ed, though matured after his ordeal through the gate, still had his fiery personality and had been suppressing an angry outburst towards Mr. Smites for quite a while. Now, Ed grimly relished the idea of beating the pulp out of his opponent. He probably wouldn't go as far as Aria went, that is, making his opponent gibber senselessly in terror, but very scared would meet his purposes.

Hurtand rose heavily from his seat without even noticing that it had sunk into to ground because of Ed's alchemy. In his grating, booming voice, the huge man laughed, "Quite acrobatic, Mr. Hedrick, but it won't do you any good against me! I am going to become the Defense Alchemist. There's almost nothing you can do against me to hurt me! Watch and lose!"

Though the announcer had not yet shouted the signal to begin, Hurtand drew his oily sleeve up to uncover an alchemy array embroidered on a wristband. The array glowed brightly with the blue light of transmutation and, immediately, a black layer spread from the array over every inch of Hurtand's huge form. Ed watched him without betraying emotions: emotions often signaled the enemy of your next move. It was something he learned from long, hard experience on the other side of the gate during a horrendous epoch called World War I that Ed would rather not remember.

Ed's eyes were hard as he clapped his hands together and almost unconsciously transmuted his automail into a blade. In the judges' panel, Mustang's eyes flickered as he recognized the technique. Hurtand scoffed. "Boy, that's miserable blade isn't going to hurt me!"

Ed made eye contact with the man and said, "We'll see."

The announcer looked from one contestant to the other before backing away and shouting, "Begin!"

Ed clapped his hands together and charged. Hurtand grinned insanely and did not move, ready to take on any attack that came his way. Ed brought his blade down on Hurtand's arm and watched it glance off without leaving the smallest mark. Hurtand laughed manically as Ed skidded backwards from the impact and shouted, "See? You are completely helpless against me! Nevertheless, you won't believe me, now will you? Go ahead and try!"

Ed steadied himself as he stood up and turned to face Hurtand. "Actually, it was just as I expected. You are human, so that material you make the shield out of must come from somewhere. The impact and reaction to my automail proved that. You're shield is made from something that makes up almost one-third of the human body: carbon. It can range from being as soft as graphite to as hard as diamond. Now that I know, the rest…is easy."

Without warning, Ed dashed at Hurtand while smacking his hands together with a resounding, "CLAP!"

Hurtand's mocking laughs were cut short as Ed winded him with a hefty thrust into his flabby stomach. A blue light crackled and a shattering sound rent the air as the transmutation took its toll. Hurtand's bewildered expression was priceless as he watched his 'invincible' shield shatter before Ed's simple attack. Ed grinned 'evilly', leapt backwards, and said, "I can't hurt you, now can I? Then you won't mind if I do this!"

The 'Defense Alchemist' watched with dish-plate eyes and a grey face as the gleaming blade drew closer at an alarming rate. Ed stopped the tip of his weapon millimeters from Hurtand's forehead, but the obese alchemist was already unconscious from fright with wildly lolling eyes. Ed sighed, clapped, and returned his automail to normal before walking over to Hurtand and booting him in the ribs. The big man woke up gradually before half fainting with terror again in response to the proximity of someone who could potentially kill him.

"M-MY SHIELD! W-W-WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"I once fought someone like you, only he was much fitter than you and actually fought back. You idiot."

"Ah…BUT YOU HAVEN'T BEATEN ME YET!"

Hurtand began activating the alchemy array on his wrist in attempt to reconstruct his shield before Ed forcibly tore the cloth off his arm. "Just give it up."

Stripped of his means of transmutation, Hurtand yowled in indignation and Ed whapped him heavily over the head with his metal arm, effectively braining him into unconsciousness.

Ed won his first match.

Many pointless matches followed and none of them were as exciting as the first round. Most of the opponents were amateurs and could barely manipulate anything more than their own body mass. Ed won the next round without breaking a sweat. Aria's opponent forfeited and Al only took five minutes to win. However, a gnawing feeling of worry writhed in the pit of Ed's stomach for some unknown reason as the third round began, but as soon as he glanced at the chart, he knew:

The next match - Aria Shadowen versus Alphonse Elric.

* * *

Ed hurried to find Aria before the match began and encountered her in the fourth row of the bleachers. Many contestants had left, so only four people remained on the parade ground excluding the judges and military personnel. Aria was sitting motionless in her seat, eyes gazing off into the distance. Ed noticed that she _still_ didn't have a shadow and her hair was moving the _opposite_ direction of the light breeze. However, he had issues that were more important at hand, so Ed ignored her small quirks and got to the point immediately.

"Ms. Shadowen…"

"Aria."

"Okay, Aria, about your next match."

"Are you referring to the one against your brother, Alphonse Elric?"

"WAH! Don't say it aloud! Anyways, I would like to tell you something." Ed's eyes grew hard. "If you hurt him in any way, I will hound you until the day you die."

Aria shrugged casually and replied, "I don't think it's that simple to kill me. If you want my word, I don't believe in harming children to that extent, so your brother will not end up like Yeslov, if that's why you're afraid. However, I will not be responsible if he hurts himself in any way."

Ed nodded. Her promise was good enough for now, but what did she mean when she said it was not that simple to kill her? Was she immortal or something like a homunculus? Or could there be something else that would complicate matters? Ed shook the thoughts from his head and forced himself to concentrate for the upcoming fight.

* * *

The announcer shouted the signal and Al immediately prepared for a transmutation when Aria disappeared and reappeared right in front of him, effectively stopping his alchemy.

Ed gasped in shock but realized that Al was still in one piece and both contestants seemed to be conversing quietly. Unfortunately, Ed couldn't hear a word they were saying.

Aria appeared right in front of Al to propose an idea. "Alphonse Elric, what is your age?"

Al looked at her quizzically before answering tentatively, "Th-th-thirteen? Why?"

"Then, you are just a child now, and I do not wish to harm you so early in your life. According to the judges' panel, you currently have 9.7 in score, which means you will become a State Alchemist unless you die. Therefore, I believe it matches our common interests if you would forfeit, because I am also very interested in the next match's opponent and I think it would place Mr. Hedrick in a very awkward position if he were to fight you."

Al paused for a second, then blithely smiled, nodded, and shouted, "I FORFEIT!"

Ed gaped. Ed gawked. Ed froze in stupefaction for a moment before he exploded. "WHAT IN THE FRIGGIN WORLD? YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING!"

Al looked over his shoulder at the source of a very distracting sonic outburst. "Um…who is that?"

Aria followed Al's gaze before answering, "Just an overreacting idiot you can ignore. He's my next match's opponent."

Al pondered for a moment, then apparently understood and said, "Ah, so he really doesn't want to fight you, right?"

Aria's lips twitched upwards slightly as she confirmed Al's misconception. What the boy didn't know couldn't hurt him…yet.

* * *

Ed leapt from the bleachers and sprinted over to the two contestants in front of the judges' panel before pointing an accusing finger at Aria and exclaiming, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO AL?"

Aria sighed and said, "I talked reason to him."

"Oh." Ed shifted his energies to Al. "WHY DID YOU GIVE UP SO EASILY?"

Al gave him a questioning look before asking, "Who... are you? You seem like..."

"I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER!"

"-you're overreacting…Huh? Why would you be my brother?"

"AArrrrgghhhhh… I… mean…. GAHHHHHH!" Ed mentally slapped himself and lost a few valued brain cells.

Roy noted this with amusement and took a few more notes in his pocketbook.

The baffled announcer began saying, "Round three, battle two, Edward Hedrick versus Bryant Osteen…"

His voice faded away as Aria took his microphone with a swift grab and left the stunned man blinking at his hand in bafflement. She calmly announced in her strangely cold voice, "Bryant Osteen, I advise you to forfeit."

Bryant, who had been making his way towards the parade grounds to prepare for his match, paused in confusion and impulsively said, "Why?"  
Aria, though it was against her nature, grinned wolfishly and said, "Isn't it self explanatory? The only way you can become a Nationally Certified Alchemist is to defeat Edward Hedrick and fight me. If that happens, I will be rather irritated. I tend to destroy most living objects within a twenty-meter radius when I'm irritated. Do you really want to fight me?"

Bryant Osteen turned an ashen shade of gray. "I FORFEIT!"

Ed narrowed his eyes and wondered why Aria seemed so intent on fighting him. Was there some twisted reason or conspiracy behind her actions? After all, she was the only one who knew his real identity.

Ed turned his eyes to Aria. "Why are you so eager to fight me?" All he earned was a cryptic, distant eye contact from those foreign, vibrant, blood red eyes.

"I will test you."

* * *

Mustang felt a creeping feeling that this Aria person was way beyond the normal league of State Alchemists. He also had an inching premonition that the judges' panel may be jeopardized by the fight between Shadowen and the person he had just identified as Edward Elric.

Roy left his seat and told each member in the panel that they should relocate to a safer area. Most believed him and the panel left to ensure their own safety and give the last two contestants more room.

* * *

Ed faced Aria with suspicion and saw the judges moving away from the corner of his eye. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but I won't back down without a fight."Clapping his hands together, Ed transmuted his automail into a blade and poised it in front of him. Aria stood seven meters away, unmoving.

Every instinct told Ed to charge, but harsh experience stopped him and he decided to attack from a safer distance instead. If his directions were right, he should be standing directly above a block of solid metal, which was his specialty in transmutation.

However, Ed maintained the fact that he was not going to kill unless necessary. Actually, he wouldn't kill at all if it hadn't been for a series of events across the gate.

Aria watched as Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted a gun from the ground. The lack of an alchemy array meant that he had seen inside the Gate and had caught a glimpse of _that_. The gun was obviously a model used across the Gate in the world of technology, proving that the Elric had indeed gone past the gate.

Aria dodged the bullets that came her way, not heeding the light wounds that pestered her. They could not kill her anyways, so she would rather not obstruct her vision and analyze the next successor the Gate had chosen while she could. Ed wasn't trying to kill her after all, so he was purposely aiming only for her limbs.

Ed wondered why Aria did not defend herself in any way from his firing, so he stopped in fear of actually hurting her. The strange thing was, he noticed that she was completely unscathed from his attacks and she wasn't even remotely tired from the constant strain of reflexes in response to the hail of ammunition. He needed another way to defeat her, or the fight would drag on pointlessly.

Clapping his hands together once more, he transmuted the ground Aria was standing on and caught her firmly by sinking her into waist deep quicksand that turned back into solid rock. Ed pointed his gun at her and grimly smiled.

Of course, it couldn't be _that_ easy to defeat Aria, so Ed wasn't surprised when she clapped her hands together and effortlessly extracted herself from her temporary immobilization by transmuting all the surrounding materials into water. All the surrounding materials included the ground Ed stood on, so Ed found himself sinking down into the tides of newly transmuted pool.

Aria knew Ed had an automail arm that would weigh him down in the liquid and observed how her opponent would react to the situation. She saw a blue light come through the water and knew Ed must be transmuting something else to escape drowning. The ground shifted beneath her feet and Aria knew what Ed had done: he increased the area of the pool to make the water level spread out over a larger surface, decreasing the depth.

Ed gasped for breath as he encountered air again and wondered why Aria had not launched any direct attacks. It almost seemed that she was toying with him to see how he reacted to different circumstances. Gritting his teeth, Ed decided that not hurting Aria would be impossible if he wanted to win and close combat was probably his best bet.

Aria watched as the drenched alchemist charged at her through the remaining water with his blade pointed at her and immediately leapt backwards while clapping her hands together. She transmuted a slim, but sharp sword from the ground and brought it up to eye level just as Ed reached close proximity.

The resounding of metal clashing against metal grated through the air as Ed brought his blade down on Aria's sword. The two weapons came to a temporary standstill, quivering under the force behind them. Then both pulled away and came clashing back together repeatedly in a fight of swordsmanship rather than alchemy.

Ed did not calculate the time he spent parrying and thrusting in pure reflex and quick judgment with his opponent. She showed no opening and Ed's judgment clouded as he shut out all other thoughts in total concentration. Aria showed no sign of tiring but Ed had begun panting lightly in effort and a trickle of blood wound its way down his normal arm from a slash on his shoulder. Aria, however, thrust forward boldly and Ed sidestepped just in time to avoid the worst of the blow. However, in her lunge, she left a small opening and Ed could not stop his instant reflexes.

Before he could even understand or prevent his actions, he had thrust his blade cleanly through Aria's chest.

Ed watched in horror as Aria coughed blood and collapsed to the ground. Returning his arm to normal, he hurried to his side and saw medics frantically making their way onto the arena. However, without warning, Aria flicked her sword up to his throat and smiled.

Ed flinched, but shouted, "ARE YOU CRAZY? THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR FIGHTING!" Aria disregarded his outburst with a shrug as she rose to her feet, making Ed back off in surprise.

"I told you that it isn't simple to kill me." The medics stopped in amazement and Ed was all too conscious of the bizarre turn of events.

"Wait, how can you be standing if I just stabbed you through the heart? You should be dead right now, but you seem to be perfectly fine!"

Aria flicked the sword point from Ed's throat and cast the sword away without a glance. She clapped her hands together and pressed them onto her rapidly bleeding wound. A brilliant blue glow of transmutation blinded Ed for a moment, and, when it faded, Aria stood in front of him unscathed again.

There could only be one explanation for this, and Ed raised his guard as he said quietly, "Homunculus, aren't you?" Aria shook her head.

"No, I am a human being, but not in a normal sense. You could say that I am-"

"Ms. Shadowen, Mr. Hedrick, what is the meaning of this?" Aria and Ed looked up to see Lieutenant Colonel Armstrong shimmering purple in the noon sunlight.

_Gahh! Armstrong! Why is _he_ here? _Ed thought in horror. Armstrong continued, "We at the judges' panel observed Mr. Hedrick stabbing you in the chest, Ms. Aria. However, when our medics came, they reported seeing both of you in fine condition. How can this be?"

Aria sighed and Ed looked Armstrong straight in the eye, saying, "But I didn't stab her! Maybe it was just a trick of the eye because you all were relocated a bit further away."

Armstrong stilled looked skeptical, and voiced his thoughts, "But General Mustang distinctly saw Ms. Shadowen coughing up blood from his telescope."

Ed finally reassured him that everything was fine. "So let's get on with the match!"

"My apologies, Mr. Hedrick, but we are out of time, and if you two fight any longer, you will totally destroy the parade grounds. We should also prematurely cease this battle, for you are devastating our facilities, and we can't have that, now can we?

"Speaking of your scores, both of you have passed with full scores of 10."

Aria glanced up. "10?"

"Yes, ma'am. Is there a problem"

"The scoring system is inaccurate. Because of the premature ending, we cannot properly demonstrate our power to its' full extent."

"Who cares?" Ed muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "At least we passed."

"Indeed you did, Edward Hedrick, Aria Shadowen. General Mustang has summoned you to his office for your induction."

Aria nodded curtly and said, "Then we should be on our way."

* * *

Three alchemists stood in Mustang's office: Alphonse Elric, the second youngest State Alchemist in history, Edward Hedrick, and Aria Shadowen. Roy had them all stand at attention in front of his desk before addressing them.

"Congratulations. You three have passed the State Alchemist Exams. Here're your watches." Roy threw each of them a watch with a complete lack of dramatics. Ed thought silently to himself that Roy had remained unchanged in the years he was gone, but immediately shifted his attentions to something else when he opened the watch. In it were the words: Don't forget 3 OCT.

"General Mustang, why are these words carved inside my watch?" Mustang glanced with an unconcerned expression, even though he had purposely given Ed that watch.

"Oh, well, you sure are lucky! That watch used to belong to one of the most famous alchemists of all time: The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric. We rediscovered it in the ruins of Lior while excavating it. As a side note, that watch would sell for 15 million cens on the black market."

Ed almost gawked when he heard Roy say that he used to be one of the most famous alchemists of all time. He had a reputation, but not THAT big of a reputation.

Roy yawned, and then seemed to remember something. "Oh, that's right; I forgot to tell you your new State Alchemist titles. Alphonse Elric, you are the Diamond Alchemist. Aria Shadowen, you are the Shadow Alchemist. Edward Hedrick, we don't have a name for you yet, but would you like to be…the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

Ed paused for a long time. He really wanted his title back, but, knowing Roy, he would totally give himself away. Then, Roy would get his hands on the newspaper press and the world would know by nightfall. "Um, that's too great of a title for me to bear. Could I have another?"

Roy contemplated for a moment before asking, "Would you like to be the Resurrection Alchemist?"

"NO. I. WOULD. NOT. What doest that have to do with anything?"

"Then…let's see…Ah! How about being…The Fire Metal Alchemist?" Ed thought over the name. It sounded very similar to his real title, but it would have to do. It did have a nice ring to it.

"I accept." Suddenly, it struck Ed that Roy might have already unraveled his identity puzzle. Why else would Mustang give him his old watch and offer him his old title? Of course, knowing Roy, Ed guessed that the man preferred to hint in a subtle way instead of saying it outright.

"Good, now we can proceed. Diamond Alchemist, Shadow Alchemist, Fire Metal Alchemist…here are you're missions. Diamond Alchemist Alphonse Elric is to travel to the border of Xing and assist the military headquarters there with the suppression of the rebels. More details are in this folder." Roy handed Al a manila binder crammed with many papers and confidential files. Turning to Ed and Aria, Roy assigned a different mission. "Fire Metal and Shadow Alchemist, you are to track a serial murderer in Rizenpool who seems to be using advanced forms of alchemy. Arrest or eliminate him if you encounter the murderer, but preferably hold him in custody for questioning. He seems to target only young women and leaves no mark on his victims whatsoever. Report all results to me directly."

Ed received a similar binder and nodded slightly as he accepted the mission. The fact that Roy had sent two State Alchemists after a single person meant that the person was either very powerful, very dangerous, or both.

* * *

Aria and Ed bowed slightly, and then left the office. In the hallway, both newly inducted State Alchemists walked in silence until Aria suddenly stopped.

"I know how to attain a sliver of the Talisman of Knowledge."

"WHAT? How do you know about that? You haven't read my mind or anything like that, have you?"

"No, of course not. I will tell you in due time. First, you must do something for me. Equivalent exchange, you see."

"I'll do anything! Anything at all –"

"Edward Elric, you must reveal your identity if you want information."

"-except that! I can't do that!"

"Coward. You hold back your identity in case you fail. You're afraid of hurting the ones you love – again."

"But why? Why do I have to do _that_? Can't I just do something else?"

"You must reveal your identity to use the fame you have as the Fullmetal Alchemist. In equivalent exchange, I will tell you how to get the talisman…in due time. You will need to rely on your famous name when the time comes."

Ed sighed. "Well…I don't quite understand the point of revealing my name, but I suppose that's the only way I'm going to succeed in my quest. I should probably go tell that bastard Colonel – I mean General first."

Ed turned around quickly. Aria grabbed his arm and said, "Shouldn't you change your hair gold again? And what about your old outfit?"

"Oh, right. Forgot about that. But where can I find my regular attire? Guess I'll have to transmute it..." Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted his German clothing into his normal apparel. Ed then transmuted his hair back to gold. Aria stiffened at the sight of Dante's crest on the back of his red coat, but said nothing. Ed walked rigidly back to Mustang's office and entered.

"Ah...Col – General Mustang. I'm Edward."

"Um…are you sure you're sane? Why are you dressed like the former Edward Elric? Moreover, what happened to your hair? Have you gone egotistical after I gave you his 15 million cenz watch?"

"NO, I DIDN'T! It's me, Fullmetal! I was in disguise before as Edward Hedrick. But Aria figured it out and forced to tell you. So I want my old title back."

"Okay, I'll put a call through to the office."

"What? Why aren't you the least bit surprised? I came back after five years of being _'dead'_, and all you can say is 'Okay'?"

"Hmm… I figured as much. You did change though. I mean, since when were you so careful?"

"Oh, you have no idea."

Ed stepped out of the room after bowing slightly. Roy watched as the door latched shut, before smiling and whispering under his breath, "Welcome back, Fullmetal."

Ed turned around after closing the door. "Bastard General."

Aria and Ed were walking down the corridor when Aria said quickly, "We need to hurry to the train station before your brother leaves for Xing. You must to tell him too."

Ed grimaced and walked stiffly out of Headquarters. However, as soon as he hit the streets, he worried about drawing too much attention, but then he noticedseveral crazy fanatic people dressed just like him. It seemed like the latest fad to dress up like the Fullmetal Alchemist and pretend to be the famous alchemist in the local legends. A young lady even came up to him and said, "Wow, you're the best looking Edward Elric I've seen today! How did you get the golden eyes?"

Ed was about to protest when Aria whispered in his ear, "It's a good cover. Don't blow it." Ed sighed with exasperation before continuing down the road to the train station. He hoped Roy wouldn't tell the world until after he got out of Central.

* * *

After purchasing tickets at the train station, they scanned the crowds for Al and spotted him sitting on a bench waiting for his 2:00 train to Xing.

Ed sat down next to Al. Al turned around and his eyes grew bright and filled with hope before dimming again. "Sorry. I thought you were my brother. There are so many Edward Elric look-alikes these days that I don't know what to expect. I wonder what would happen if the _real_ Edward Elric sat down next to me and I reacted like this. By the way, you have a very realistic costume. I was completely fooled."

_GAHH! I _AM_ YOUR BROTHER! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? _Ed screamed at him mentally, but he still contemplated on how to break it to Al _gently_.

"Um, Al?"

"Hey, what do you know, you even _sound_ like him! That's what Nii-san used to call me, too."

Ed thought he was going to go crazy. _Al's getting _pretty_ demented, but that probably just went to show what this world was coming to…_

"Actually, the hair isn't a wig, and I don't wear contacts." Ed pulled up his right sleeve. "I also have a real auto-mail arm."

"Gee, you went all the way, didn't you?"

Ed took a deep breath and pulled out his State Alchemist watch. "And this is mine." He flipped open the watch and showed Al the engraved words inside.

Al's eyes turned into dish plates as he raised his head and looked Ed straight in the eye...

The next thing Ed knew, he was being propelled forward by a heavy force from the waist. Then, he was suddenly deafened by an earsplitting sonic boom: "NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

All of the spectators turned around to see who had just made the exclamation. They all thought, _If Alphonse Elric just called that person his brother, then that must be… EDWARD ELRIC!_

Aria kept the mob at bay by saying, "Just a slight case of identity fraud, nothing to be worried about, Alphonse Elric is just mistaken."

When Ed finally recovered his balance, the crowd had dispersed, and Al was staring at Ed with goggling goldfish eyes. "I-I-I can't b-believe y-you're REAL!"

The blaring of the train abruptly interrupted the beautiful brotherly reunion. Suddenly, both of them realized that they were unfortunately standing on the railroad tracks.

The accelerating vehicle of metal loomed before the two brothers…

"GAHHHHHH!" they both yelled in unison. Aria, being the helpful and foresighted person that she was, jerked both of them to safety at the last moment by the scuffs of their necks.

"Be more careful, you two. Al, I know you want to get to Xing, but that's a very dumb way to get a free ride, splattered on the front of the train's windshield."

Al turned around just in time to be booted on the train by Aria's iron foot. He scrambled to get on completely and gave the ticket master his ticket. He turned around to wave goodbye to his long-lost brother, only to find him out of sight. Ed had very wisely decided to flee the scene before the curious crowds of fanatics figured it out.

* * *

Winry Rockbell had no idea what was happening when an anonymous serial murderer killed two girls in Rizenpool without leaving a mark on their bodies. Izumi had left with Rose for Dublith on a temporary vacation, leaving her, Den, and Auntie Pinako alone. Auntie Pinako had locked her inside the house because of this and she was literally bored to the point of death. It was no wonder her eyes brightened at the ring of the doorbell after dinner, but she was still cautious before answering the door. Auntie Pinako was reading her newspaper in the dining room, and nodded confirmation for Winry to open the door.

Ed had changed his hair color back to black and his clothing back to the German set before ringing the doorbell of the Rockbell house. He and Aria had decided that it might not be wise to show up on the porch looking like Edward Elric because of the possible, volatile reactions that might stimulate. Therefore, when Winry Rockbell opened the door, all she saw was that Edward Hedrick person and another strange girl with midnight-black hair and crimson eyes.

Ed smiled lopsidedly and asked, slightly embarrassed, "Um, hi Winry, could we stay the night here? There aren't any inns in this area and…"

Winry cocked her head and asked, "Are you here because of that serial murderer?" Ed nodded. "Then Auntie Pinako won't mind. She's been expecting the military to send some for weeks."

Ed and Aria stepped inside before Aria backed out with a glance around the house. Pinako still said nothing, but gave Aria a skeptical look.

"I'm sorry, but I'll stay somewhere else. If I have judged your house correctly, you only have one spare room and I'd trouble you too much if I were to dislodge you."

"Ah, but then where will you stay…um…"

"Aria…Aria Shadowen."

"Winry Rockbell. Where will you stay, Ms. Shadowen?" Winry asked questioningly, knowing that the serial murderer targeted young women like herself. "It's too dangerous to sleep outside with that killer on the loose. You can use our living room if you need to…"

Aria looked away. "I'm not a State Alchemist for nothing. There are tasks I must perform tonight, so it really doesn't matter." Without a second glance, Aria left through the doorway and disappeared into the darkness outside.

Winry watched her go before redirecting her attention at Ed and said, "You can use…Al's old room." She led him up the stairs and showed him the room he used to stay in every time he got his automail fixed.

Ed dropped his suitcase by the door and flopped down into bed, weary from three days of traveling. He had almost dozed off when he heard the scraping of a window opening and the wind blowing lightly through the trees.

He opened the door to his room out of curiosity and traced the sounds to Winry's room. He could now hear quiet sobs from inside her room. Taking a deep breath, he knocked softly on the wood door and heard a gasp and the scraping of a chair before the door opened and Ed found himself looking at Winry's tearstained face. He heart leapt up to his throat when he saw the Winry he knew to be energetic, over eccentric and energetic looking pale and quietly sad.

"Winry? What's wrong?" She quickly dashed away what tears were in her eyes and tried to smile like nothing was wrong.

"N-nothing! Why do you ask?" Ed was now severely worried. Winry was not acting like herself today. Winry was not the type of person to cry in secret, and then hide her problems. Ed forced her back into the room and sat her down on the bed. He stood in front of her and asked, "Winry, you're crying and you still say nothing's wrong? Even if I don't understand girls that well, but don't take me for a complete idiot. If something is wrong, you need to find a way to fix it or get help."

Winry put her head in her hands and the sobs began anew. "You wouldn't understand. My problem is one I can't fix. No one can help either."

"Will it make you feel better to tell someone?" Winry looked up through her tears. "I'll listen if you need someone to talk to."

Winry contemplated this for a while, and then took a deep breath to begin her explanation. "I never told him. I was too scared of getting rejected or something. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye…and I never found out what happened to him, even after all these years.

"A long time ago, Alphonse Elric came to our house sealed in a suit of armor. He also brought his older brother here, missing an arm and a leg. On top of being brothers, they were good friends, and I had known them since we were kids, but that's when everything began. We gave the older Elric an arm and leg of automail, but they were set on regaining everything they had lost. They burned their house and left on their quest without ever explaining anything to me. I didn't see them until Edward Elric, the older one, became a State Alchemist. I was…happy for him, but sad as well because I knew they were getting closer to their goal, yet farther from me. They still didn't explain anything when I came, and they wouldn't tell me anything when I left either. They said that they wanted to protect me from harm. My heart broke every time I saw them leave, out of my reach, but it hurt even more to see them come back, worn and tired from their experiences. I didn't see them again for four years, and then they only came back because of injuries and getting Ed's automail fixed. Ed and Al stayed for three days, and then left again, without explaining anything. The next time was when they fled to Rizenpool, chased by the military. They were involved in something huge, something that could change the country and alter thousands of lives, but they didn't tell me…and I still don't understand. Ed and Al probably wanted to keep me safe like they said, but they just couldn't see how much it hurt to be left out.

"The time Ed and Al fled to Rizenpool was the last time…I would ever see Ed. I don't know what happened and I don't think anyone will ever know, but we found Al in his original, ten year old body with no memories of the past four years. I only heard about him once more – Brigadier General Mustang invited me to Central for his funeral. But he couldn't be dead! He was too alive to be dead, and I never got a chance to tell him…I never got a chance to say goodbye.

"The rumors started to spread about Edward Elric. They said that his coffin was really empty, and he was alive somewhere else. They said that he was involved with a legendary object called the Philosopher's Stone, and that it could grant any wish. They also said that he was the first person to ever perform perfect human transmutation, and that he had sacrificed his own existence to bring Al back to life. But if he did, didn't he think of everything he was leaving behind? Didn't he know how much it would hurt us? Didn't he know I loved him! And, yet…I NEVER TOLD HIM…I never told him how much I loved him…and now, I can't…he won't come back…

"Edward Elric was the only person I'll ever love, and ever had loved. I hate him. I hate him for leaving me behind. And, now, he haunts me, never leaving my thoughts alone. He haunts my days, he haunts my nights, he follows my conscious and unconscious thoughts. I'm going to go crazy…just because I never told him."

Ed would not, COULD not react to Winry's sobbing and unknowing love confession to him. Winry had always been a sister to him, so he never considered thather loving him had been a possibility. Now his heart pounded with guilt of his neglect to ever consider her feelings and he regretted every word that he blatantly said against her. This was crazy, ridiculous, and completely out of Ed's grasp in understanding. Ed had been through more than most people: he had fought homunculus that were almost immortal; he had died once already; he had traveled between worlds; and he had witnessed wars more horrifying than any others in this world, even Ishbal. But, despite his cat-like reflexes, he was completely and utterly stunned by Winry's torrent of choked words.

Now she was sobbing quietly into his shoulder and he had no idea what to do. Aria's words came echoing back at him: _Coward. You hold back your identity in case you fail. You're afraid of hurting the ones you love – again._

He had already hurt her deeply – too deeply, but that was solely his fault for not telling her what he was going to do. Now he had to tell her or she would continue her depression until the day she died. He couldn't believe himself – leaving Winry to cry herself to sleep every night for three entire years.

Grapping Winry by the shoulders, Ed pulled her up and looked her squarely in the face. He took a deep breath as he gazed nervously into her teary eyes and slowly, clearly said, "Winry, listen to me carefully. I…am…ED."

Winry's eyes flinched in misunderstanding and anger as she tore herself away from him and let angry tears fall anew. "I don't want your lame jokes right now! I know you're Ed, but that isn't helping cheer me up.Didn't youhear a thing I said? Here I am, pouring out my heart and soul to you, and all you can say is 'I am Ed'!"

Ed stood up and grabbed her wrist firmly before clapping his hands together softly and touching them to his hair, returning them to their original, gold color.

"No, Winry…I'm Edward…Elric."

Silence. Complete and total silence deafened Ed as a revelation dawned on Winry. Ed watched her tremble, then reach slowly for something on her table. He couldn't make out what it was when he suddenly felt something heavy strike him across the head. Winry was holding her wrench, trembling and crying while repeatedly bringing the wrench down on him. A blow punctuated every, single one of the words mouthed by her wavering voice

"Ed…You…IDIOT!" Without warning, she threw her wrench away and hugged him tightly around the waist, still crying, shaking, and not letting go. She held on like the world depended on it and Edward Elric would disappear again if she let him. She dug her face into his shoulder and felt his warmth, heard his breathing, and saw his beautiful golden eyes widen in shock.

He was real…REAL…REAL!

* * *

Pinako Rockbell was quietly readingthe newspaper when her eye found an article that was very important indeed. She smiled to herself as she read and reread the title: Return of Edward Elric.

Then, a small racket upstairs drew her attention and she climbed up the stairs, only to find muffled talking from Winry's room. Opening the door a crack, Pinako looked inside to see Winry sitting on that visitor's lap, sobbing and smiling with joy. Though neither of them saw her,she wondered what Edward would think if he saw Winry like that. Hm... making out with a ... stranger?

She was halfway down the stairs when a thought jolted in her head: _Hold on, double take..._

She rushed back upstairs and peeked in again...there was no doubt about it: gold braid, gold eyes. As she closed the door softly, she smiled to herself and whispered under her breath, "Welcome home, Ed. By the way, you had better not screw Winry."

* * *

A/N:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! AT LAST! EDxWINRY!

it looks like romance scenes work even if you don't write them properly... : P

SPECIAL THANKS: i give full gratitude to Lucy Miao, my trustworty BFF and cruel editor...

SO...whaddya think of this...excruciatingly long chapter? btw...ED DOES NOT SCREW WINRY! (note, this fic is rated for violence, not...that)

chapter five will be up soon! (i hope...)

one more thing:

REVIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEW!

(many reviews are the life of a fanfiction - quote from Socrates)


	5. Lost Loved Ones

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA! NOW DON'T RUB IT IN!

_Karia: Chapter 5…I never even knew it existed, but here we are!_

_Riza: It did not exist until now_

_Karia: Good point, but still! I can't believe it exists!_

_Riza: Then you are an idiot because we're here._

_Karia: GAH! I didn't mean it literally!_

_Riza: Just hurry up and start before I shoot you._

_Karia: Yes Ma'am!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 5: Lost Loved Ones

Aria had left the Rockbell dwelling only to leave immediately for a deserted field nearby. There was something she needed to do and night was probably the best time to do it – while no one was watching her movements or suspect her motives. With her physical body, she could not sleep even if she tried, so rest did not pose a problem. It was strange, but she had long gotten used to the inability to tire, age, hunger, or die. Technically, by definition, she was immortal. People can even seal a homunculus, but Aria was truly immortal, whether she liked it or not. She also held many great secrets, a mission of utmost importance, and a duty she had to pass on to Edward Elric at all costs.

Now, standing in the empty field, Aria clapped her hands together and pressed them into the ground. However, with her level of alchemy, clapping her hands was unnecessary; she preferred to do it out of habit rather than effectiveness. The transmutation effect began and she created an enormous underground cavern, complete with a concealed opening and a winding staircase going down into the square cavern.

Descending the steps calmly, Aria stepped into the room she created in pitch-blackness. She had brought torches with her and now lit one with a match, placing into one of the holsters already adorning the walls. The dim glow gave the dark room an eerie milieu, but Aria did not care. Her job was the task at hand, and a gruesome one at that. She needed to draw huge, alchemy arrays to summon the Talisman…out of blood.

Drawing a long, black-hilted dagger from her cloak pocket, Aria pressed the blade against her arm and emotionlessly slit her wrist. The thick, crimson liquid flowed out with vigor and Aria let it drip down to her fingertips before bending to the ground, letting her arm guide the blood downward. Slowly, she inched forward, leaving a thick trail of crimson behind her.

Doing this weakened her, but Aria did not have the ability to die. She needed to complete those transmutation circles…so Ed could complete his task and she could unload the burden she carried to the Fullmetal Alchemist. She ignored the searing fire that was creeping up her arm and the nausea that resulted from so much blood loss. She could not die, but the amount of blood in her body had a limit.

Finally, she felt her body going cold as severe blood loss took its toll and decided that she had done enough for one night. She had used up about 1/2 of the blood in her body to draw only half of the first transmutation circle. There were a total of six circles, and something told Aria that it would be a very grueling task to complete all of them with only her own blood. Perhaps…it might be easier to use someone else's, but Aria refrained from murder unless necessary.

She took deep breaths and took out a strip of bandages to bind her bleeding wrist. Any normal person would have died a long time ago after losing half of the blood in their body, but not Aria. Too many secrets buried themselves deep in her consciousness, and they tired her to extreme extents. She had held these secrets for a millennia, but as soon as Edward Elric completed his task, she could…finally die.

Dragging herself back up the stairs descending to the dungeon below, Aria transmuted the opening shut after she was outside. However, the blood loss had taken a toll on her: her usually sharp senses had dulled temporarily, so she didn't notice the menacingly glowing, purple eyes that watched her. The owner of those eyes smirked momentarily, and then flitted off into the night towards the Rockbell house.

* * *

While Winry sobbed into his shoulder, Ed held his tongue in silence and contemplation. Did he love Winry back? He never thought of her that way; she had always been a friend, a sister, and a mechanic. Never had he _ever_ suspected that she didn't think of him on such a basic level. Ed berated himself for not noticing Winry at all through the passage of the years. He had always wondered why she set aside all other clients to see him first, why she tested her newest, best models of automail on him, why she specially prepared dinner whenever he and Al visited, and many other special little events she went out of her way to create. But, no, he had been so blind and ignored all of her hints, blundering forward with his eyes only on getting Al's body back.

Now she was crying into his shoulder, leaning on him for support and comfort. Ed was bewildered by her passionate words, agonized by her warm, sparkling tears, captivated by her sapphire eyes, shocked by her embrace, and, overall, completely and totally stunned. Did he love her? _Love is a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward a person, such as that arising from kinship, recognition of attractive qualities, or a sense of underlying oneness_. The dictionary definition of love said as much, but which kind of love did Ed feel? He had always assumed that Winry was like a sister, but, upon closer inspection, he realized that wasn't quite true. The type of love he felt towards Al was more of an unnoticeable, daily kind of love between brothers. The type of love he felt for his friends was more loyal, playful, and devoted. For Winry, he had never really stopped to categorize her in any of the two familiar categories. She didn't seem to fit in any one of them.

What kind of love was it? His heart always skipped a beat when he saw her, and he felt an uncontrollable urging to please her in every way, but his fiery personality rejected the idea and forced him to fight with her instead. Actually, he could consider that their way of flirting, but it was inevitable when two people with such intense personalities clashed against each other.

Yes, all of this time, he loved Winry Rockbell, but had been too busy, too blind, too selfless to even understand himself. Now she was drying her eyes and turning those beautiful sapphire orbs into his bright golden ones. _Oh my god, I'm probably turning beet red_.

"Ed…w-what am I to you?" Winry's strained voice managed to whisper in a barely audible sigh and Ed's conscious and logical mind completely shut down, so he followed what his heart told him.

Without answering directly, he leaned forward and placed a gentle, first kiss on Winry's soft lips, pulling her closer before breaking contact. Stroking her hair, Ed was about to answer when a sharp knock sounded at the door, untimely disrupting his answer.

* * *

Clapping her hands together, Aria touched her fingertips to her chest, right above her heart, and willed the transmutation to recreate blood. The result was a crackle of blue light and all the grass in a two-meter radius withered to brown. Aria had drawn all the elements she needed to make blood from the ground, but had to draw water and life from the grass.

Aria felt the warmth alchemically regenerated blood sweep through her body, sharpening her wits and rejuvenating her body once more. Once her mind cleared, a new pang of intuition seared into her mind and warned her of some ominous event occurring nearby. She glanced around her, but found no direct threat in any form. Aria trusted her intuition – it was rarely wrong – but it was never specific about what was going to happen or when it would occur. Perhaps her unconscious mind was indirectly reacting to the genetic discrepancy of the recreated gallons of blood.

Aria looked up and saw the sky was stormy with black rain clouds blotting out the starry heavens. A drop of rain fell from the sky, landing softly on Aria's pale cheek. It was as if the heavens were crying, Aria thought, crying for what was about to happen. However, anticipating the impending events was beyond Aria's capability, for, despite her many abilities, predicting the future was solely in God's domain. She had trespassed once, and she did not intend to trespass again anytime soon.

The rain grew harder.

* * *

Ed helped Winry to her feet and blushed before whispering to her urgently, "Stay here, I'll answer to door, and don't come out until I tell you to. It might be related to the serial murderer, so stay safe." He turned to leave, but noticed Winry's beautiful, clear blue eye glittering with joy and tears. The Fullmetal Alchemist smiled softly to himself and shut the door behind him.

He walked past Auntie Pinako's room, in which the old woman was already asleep. Ed wondered who could be calling this late at night and clapped his hands to prepare for sudden necessities of alchemy. Just in case.

Ed climbed down the stairs and walked to the front door. For some unknown reason, the hairs on his neck prickled and a foreboding feeling stole over him. He shook it off because, being an alchemist, Ed didn't believe in vague things like intuition.

He almost sighed with relief when he opened the door and found himself staring into Aria's familiar, crimson eyes. "Aria, why are you here this late? Where have you been?"

The Shadow Alchemist's expression was serious as she ordered, "Come with me. We need to go to the train station and use the payphone. It's the only secure line in Rizenpool. I'm afraid you have some unfortunate news waiting for you at Central."

Ed grabbed his coat off the rack and stepped outside into the gradually increasing storm while asking, "What happened? Is it so important that we need to walk fifteen minutes to a secure line through the rain? Why not use the phone at home?"

Aria did not explain, but curtly answered, "Just follow me. I'll explain when we get there."

A quarter of an hour later, both State Alchemists stood outside the Rizenpool dripping wet in front of the payphone. Ed fumbled the cold, slippery coins with his wet, numb fingers before dropping them into the teller machine. The slot swallowed them with a satisfying 'cling' and Ed picked up the phone to dial Roy Mustang's office number. The female, monotone voice of the operator met Ed's anxious ears and said, "Central Headquarters is currently past operating hours. Please redirect your call."

Ed replied to the operator, "This is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. Put me through to General Roy Mustang. It's a high importance call."

"Please wait a moment." There was a beeping sound before Ed heard a click and Roy's voice on the other end of the phone. "Hello, this is Roy Mustang speaking."

"General, it's me, Fullmetal."

"Ah, why are you calling my private residence this late at night? Did you find out anything about the serial murderer in Rizenpool?"

Ed paused for a moment before replying, "No, but Aria, the Shadow Alchemist, told me that there was some…bad news waiting for me at Central. Would you happen to know what it is?"

"…"

"Hello, General Mustang, are you there?"

"Yes, I am. Fullmetal, I suggest you brace yourself, because you aren't going to like what I'm going to say."

"Just hurry up and tell me."

"Do you know of the insurgents in Xing?"

"Yes, but how is Xing remotely related to me?"

"Well, your brother, Alphonse, the Diamond Alchemist, went there on a mission a few days before you set off to Rizenpool, remember?"

"WHAT HAPPENED TO AL!"

"Calm down. I told you to brace yourself. Well, two days ago, we captured an apparently deserted rebel camp. To check if it was secure, we sent out a small scouting party to check the entire area for possible traps and enemies. Your brother, the Diamond Alchemist, was in that party for military protection."

"He's not…is he?" Ed asked, trying to keep his voice level and calm, not showing signs of terror or anxiety.

"We're not sure." That phrase just confirmed Ed's worst fears. "We lost communication with the scouting party a little after noon and, by the time we arrived on the scene; every member of the party was lying butchered in their own blood."

Edward Elric felt his stomach lurch forward unpleasantly. He had been through more than most people could even imagine – he had killed, he had _died_, he had traveled between worlds, he transmuted without a circle – but the mere news of losing someone he had labored so hard for was…beyond unbearable.

"No…fking…way."

Mustang, though he had years of practice suppressing sentimentality, could hardly help but feel a twinge of sadness and remorse when he heard the unmistakable quaver in the Fullmetal's usually strong, sure voice. Rumors about the famous Fullmetal Alchemist had been wild, but they all shared one common point – the Fullmetal had a spirit as strong as steel and he needed no one except his brother Al to keep going. To see Ed faltering…well, Roy could not just see one of his most trusted subordinates collapse under mental strain, so he sought to alleviate the load.

"All of the bodies were lacerated beyond recognition, so we cannot confirm the death count. The body count is one short of the total members in the search party, so there is still a chance that the Xing rebels took a person hostage. All of the remains are currently undergoing…genetic autopsy, so…I'll notify you in a week, Fullmetal."

Ed gave no response, and Roy sighed before adding one comment that he hoped would revitalize the fiery spark of life in his subordinate. He snapped suddenly in a commanding, military voice, "Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, I order you to never give up hope. The military has also sent me an invoice informing me of your promotion by one rank, Colonel Elric. Tomorrow morning, you will directly transfer to the Xing frontier and assist. And…" Roy softened his tone, "If the worst comes to the worst, remember that you still have your family and headquarters to depend on."

"…Thank you, General. Sorry to bother you this late at night…and good night." Ed hung up the phone slowly and felt a strangely warm raindrop roll down his face, then another, and another.

* * *

He was not sad, just confused. Al couldn't die, and especially not, after all of the effort Ed put into getting Al his body back. Al's death would defy equivalent trade.

Ed began to leave the station when he remembered Aria had come with him. He turned to look over his shoulder at the Shadow Alchemist, but Aria made no sign of moving from the station. Her purple eyes glowed with a strange light and…wait, _purple_… Ed blinked a few times before remembering that Aria had _RED_ eyes. Only, the person in front of him wasn't Aria.

A light began from the fake Aria's feet and moved upwards, changing the person's shape as it went. Even before the change was complete, Ed knew who the figure before him was: Envy. Envy stood in front of him, smirking cruelly with a hand on his hip. "Hey, chibi-san, long times no see. You've actually grown."

Ed gritted his teeth and clapped before transmuting his automail into a blade. "Envy, why are you here? What did you do to Aria?"

The homunculus laughed before answering. "I didn't come here to fight you. And, as for your friend Aria, I couldn't do anything to that bh even if I tried, so she's safe from me. I'm just here to give you information about your dear, late brother Alphonse and, well, draw you away from the house."

Ed knew it then – something had happened to the Rockbell house. Envy felt the sudden increase of killing intent pouring from the alchemist and neatly dodged a haphazard slash at his head. "Watch it! Before you start attacking me, shouldn't you get back to that burning house over there?"

A bright pinprick in the distance confirmed Envy's statement, and Ed realized, with a lurch, that the Rockbell house was burning. The increasing rain did nothing to quench those hideous, orange flames and Ed nearly cried out in rage. Every instinct in his head screamed for him to attack Envy, to kill, to hurt, to destroy that smugly grinning homunculus before him, but common sense drove Ed to drive one hate-laden glance in Envy's direction, then dash off in the direction of the house with the homunculus's mad laughs ringing in his ears.

* * *

The rain beat down against Ed, running down his golden hair and soaking his coat, making the Fullmetal Alchemist tremble with cold. Envy's mad laughter still rang in his ears and grated in his mind, but Ed gritted his teeth and continued to run. Mud, slush, grass, or rock – it didn't matter what Ed stepped through, as long as each stride brought him closer to his goal.

The flames died down suddenly in a flash of blue light, causing Ed to lose his beacon. He was so absorbed in following the light of the flames that he didn't realize how dark it was until the fire went out – it was completely dark with no stars, no moon, and pouring rain. Ed fought his way forward through the choking darkness, trusting his senses and his feel for direction. Slowly, his eyes grew accustomed to the darkness and he could make out black outlines.

It was a fifteen-minute walk from the Rockbell house to the station, and Ed had probably spent ten minutes talking to Roy. Now he had to spend eight minutes sprinting back, which would mean he had left for approximately half an hour. Someone had set fire to the house in pouring rain, meaning that alchemy was probably involved.

Ed never reached the Rockbell house. What he actually reached was the burnt remains of the place he called home after burning his own house so many years ago. Now, like his house, nothing but black, charred timbers resting haphazardly on each other remained of the building.

Ed walked through the remains with complete disbelief. Someone had poured gasoline over the entire house and lit the fire, and then stayed to fuel the flames to make sure the house burnt down. Even the plants near the house were smoldering ashes washed away by the rain.

He stepped into a puddle of dark liquid and bent down to inspect it. To his horror, he realized the substance was thick, red, and, apparently, very freshly spilt blood. That would mean whoever set fire on the house first went inside to deal with the inhabitants.

Ed searched frantically through the remains and uncovered, to his sinking spirits, something he had been afraid to discover. He gingerly bent down on one knee to pick up the article of clothing and held it trembling to eye height. Winry's purple jacket was slightly black from the flames and, unfortunately, covered with bloodstains. Her wrench lay a few feet away, also lying in a small pool of blood.

Almost sick with grief, Ed forcefully cast the jacket away and sank to the ground, tears breaking from his eyes without heed. Al, Winry, everyone he had ever cared or ever lived for was dead, so what reason did he have to go on? Ed clapped his hands together and transmuted his automail into a keen blade, holding it, trembling, to eye height. It would be so easy just to end everything, get away from the pain, and find Mother, Father, Al, and Winry…

Ed closed his eyed and brought the blade closer, but hand suddenly slapped his face forcefully and a voice as cold as stone chided harshly behind him, "Fool! Edward Elric, I misjudged your strength of mind. The legendary Fullmetal Alchemist I heard of did not give up that easily. While you have life, you have hope, but death is irreversible."

The real Aria stood behind him, blood streaking her face along with the rain. Her crimson eyes glowed with an intensity that Ed found slightly scary.

"Aria, what are you doing here!" The surprised Elric managed to choke out before Aria kicked him in the stomach, effectively winding him. He skidded backwards into a fallen timber of the burnt house before clutching his waist and gasping. "What was that for?"

The owner of those red eyes grabbed Ed by his shirt collar and hoisted him to eye height. "I'm saving your life. I just returned from taking a survivor of the fire, Pinako Rockbell, to the nearest doctor. If I had come five minutes later…Edward Elric, you cannot even fathom how important you are right now. Are you a dog of the military or not?" The eyes flared with light, and then returned to their normal hue as Aria softened her voice. She let go of Ed's collar and helped him to his feet. "If you had died just then, you would have made the destruction of three worlds inevitable. You have no idea how imperative it is for you to get that Shard of the Talisman. If you contemplate suicide just because you find your family dead and the house burnt…I'd hate to think what will happen to you when you go through the hell I went through."

Aria clapped her hands and returned Ed's automail to normal for him. Ed pulled away angrily and retorted, "You have no idea how important Al and Winry were to me. I've already gone through hell, you don't know what we went through, and…you're only eighteen." Aria's lips twitched upwards in a small smile.

"That is where you make your folly, Fullmetal. My physical body appears eighteen. I am turning 1,076 in two months." She didn't give Ed time to react in surprise. "I have seen hell. If I could transmute without a circle, you should have realized that I have tried human transmutation before. I have done the unforgivable, trespassed into God's territory, and paid dearly for it. Edward Elric, I will tell you what Aria Shadowen has lived through only to keep you from wallowing in self-pity."

She took a deep breath, clapped, and transmuted a makeshift shelter from the dirt, the remnants of the burnt house, and the remaining furniture. It covered both State Alchemists from the pouring rain. Aria clapped again and dried herself off, and Ed followed her example.

When they were finally dry and safe from the elements, Aria turned to face the golden-haired alchemist with her eyes glinting mysteriously. She took a deep breath and began her story in a distant, resonant, longing voice Ed found foreign.

* * *

"_I come from a world called Aerogaea. It is the second world of the four. Yes, Edward Elric, there are four worlds in total. The Gate you remember is only one of the four Gates, and that Gate only connects your world to the other three._

"_The gates are aligned in a square. The Gate to your world, Amestris, is across from the gate of the world called Earth. My world, Aerogaea, has a gate adjacent to both of yours and across from the Chaos Realm. All four worlds are similar, yet different in their own ways. For instance, time in each of the worlds is unrelated and can run fast, slow, forward, backwards, or stay still in relationship to the other worlds. In addition, each world has different laws governing it. My world specializes in sorcery. Yours, Edward, specializes in alchemy. The one across your Gate, Earth, specializes in science and technology._

"_However, they do share one common taboo: human transmutation. At least, in Amestris, it is human transmutation. In my world, it is necromancy. Earth is the newest world, so they have not developed their science enough to perform it yet. However, once they do, they will call it biological cloning or genetic engineering._

"_Over a thousand years ago, I was a seven-year-old girl living in Hyoria, a city of the world Aerogaea. My father was a sorcerer, one of the most talented sorcerers at the time. However, even with the arts of magic, we could not cure a disease called cancer. My mother came down with it when I was four, but she struggled through three years before she finally gave in. Father was devastated and I was, well, confused._

"_We began studying the forbidden art of necromancy then: I wanted to see mother smile once more. Father threw himself completely into his studies and I remember his excitedly babbling about complex concepts I could barely grasp. Father forced me to study sorcery day and night until I could understand enough to attempt necromancy. Finally, one day, we decided to attempt what countless sorcerers have tried repeatedly through the ages without avail._

"_We failed. I remember the Gate taking my father and watching him disintegrate before my eyes. It dragged me in and I caught a glimpse of the Talisman, enabling me to perform sorcery without an incantation. An enormous amount of information crammed into my head and I suddenly understood why our necromancy failed. Yet, when I regained consciousness…Mother…was not human. I lost…something important to me. We created a homunculus that day and I knew what it would become if I let it. I killed the failed necromancy before attempting another desperate mistake._

"_I offered the Gate myself in exchange for my father. The Gate, of course, accepted and gave my father his body and life back in exchange for mine. I remember the Gate pulling me inside and everything going black…and found myself reawakened again. My father had attempted a second necromancy in one day, only, instead of merely hoping that the sorcery worked, he gave the gate something in exchange for my soul: his sanity. Only, he had to obtain the Philosopher's stone to attach my soul to the transmuted body, and that required many human lives._

"_Our city, Hyoria, has a population of approximately 100,000 inhabitants. You recognize that number as the approximation of the amount of lives needed to create a Philosopher's stone. Father…in his desperation…sacrificed my entire city to transmute me. When I came to, I was alone in a flat, desolate wasteland with my father gibbering nonsense beside me. _

"_That day, I made myself a promise…a promise that I would regain everything. I would recover what I lost and give my father his sanity. I would restore the city Hyoria one day and change the way my country worked. I…became a National Sorcerer and a dog of the military at the age of eleven, the youngest National Sorcerer in history. I searched desperately for a legendary artifact called the Philosopher's Stone, a mythological item that would allow me to bypass the laws of Sorcery. _

"_My father knew what it was and how to create it…but he hoarded that secret jealously. When he lost his sanity, a large portion of the knowledge concerning the Philosopher's Stone vanished. Still, I sought fervently until…until the Falinorean War. It was a war like your Ishbal, Edward, even though you have not seen. No, it was worse than Ishbal, and even worse than World War I on Earth. There was no reason, no moral bounds, and, worse, no one cared. I was a National Sorcerer at the time…and I killed so many people when I was only sixteen: Darkesmount, Yeshailenan, Farris, Reinaron, and Asphodel. Edward Elric, those names are not names of people, they were cities. Darkesmount was the capital of Falinor…population at 400,000 residents. Yeshailenan was an economical giant, population at 250,000. Farris, ah beautiful Farris, was the City of Sight, filled with beautiful tourist spots and rivers…population at 200,000. Reinaron was a harsh task because, while I was the Shadow Sorcerer who destroyed objects by overexciting the electrons and forcing an overload of light to melt the object, it was too far north and would not melt…population at 100,000. Finally, Asphodel…she was the kindest, most beautiful city in Falinor and noted for the hospitality and peace there. Its population was 150,000 kind souls. _

"_All of them…I merely clapped my hands together and they were gone, nothing but puddles of molten residue. I killed so many people…for there were approximately twenty National Sorcerers in total. Falinor was an enormous country with over 70 large cities…and few National Sorcerers remained after that grueling war. In the end, I was one amongst the five that remained. The rest were cases of insanity, suicide, desertion, dead through failed necromancy, betrayal or execution for refusal of orders._

"_I thought I had seen hell when I failed necromancy…I was wrong – Falinor was worse. I thought I had seen hell after Falinor…I was wrong – the Dark Ages on Earth were far worse._

"_After Falinor, I spent three more years in the military, climbing ranks and uncovering more information until I finally grasped the Philosopher's Stone. I discovered how to create it and realized to my horror that I had to sacrifice human lives. I nearly gave up then, but another twist of events tangled me in a huge conspiracy behind the Falinorean War and our country's military. It was quite like your story, Ed, with Dante and the Homunculus. The only difference was that, in my world, they were seeking something more forbidden – the Talisman of Knowledge. I...ended up killing our country's dictator and uncovering the conspiracy. However, they knew of my crimes and, despite my contributions to the country, could only alleviate the punishment. They would spare my life, but banish me to another dimension._

"_The fools knew nothing of dimensions. All they did was make an elaborate show of pushing me through the Gate, never expecting me to return. However, Ed, did I mention that my world is across from the Gate of the Chaos Realm? The Chaos Realm has many different names – Lake of Fire, Hell, Samara, Eternal Damnation…The Gate told me that, to escape that doom, I had to give it a Shard of the Talisman. Then, instead of sending me to the Chaos Realm, it sent me to Earth with all of my sorcery and powers. _

"_Time warps between worlds. I found myself in England, 1379. Humans there called that period the medieval time, or the Dark Ages. I had the misfortune of appearing suddenly in the middle of a castle courtyard attired in my National Sorcerer uniform, complete with the wrist-blade signifying my rank in the military. Of course, I arrived in the height of something called the witch-hunt, which practically imprisoned innocent people suspected of black magic._

"_They immediately recognized me as a witch and, despite my explanation, refused to let me go. From the ages of sixteen to seventeen, I suffered continuous torture to force my admittance to witchcraft. I will not mention those years in detail, but they were truly hell. I was alone and despised for something that I was not guilty. _

"_I lost control of my suppressed my sorcery. Only a little spark of magic came out – just enough to heal my wounds…but the jailer saw this and informed the chancellor, who ordered me to be burnt at stake immediately in his terror. They tied me to a wooden pole and piled matchwood at my feet. I could escape, but, after Falinor, I would not kill any more people. I knew I deserved everything I went through for my atrocities in Falinor, so I let them burn me at stake._

"_The Gate was furious with my acceptance of fate and told me that my soft-heartedness would destroy all three worlds and free the Chaos Realm. It said it would give me back my dying life in exchange for…my heart. I cannot hate, love, rejoice, sadden, desire, or reject. I merely do what I must…I perform my duties and what my wisdom and knowledge tell me._

"_I returned to that world with no emotions and a complete cold-heartedness. I used sorcery to douse the flames at stake, but the rebound killed every spectator in a ten-meter radius. I escaped from the castle, killing every obstacle in the way with no remorse. I still do not regret it, though I know I should. I traveled over the country for a year before finally meeting a wizard named Merlin. He taught me about the Talisman and showed me how to summon it with sorcery._

"_I summoned the Talisman. It was a jewel with beauty beyond words. Even the fairest stars in the sky are like worthless mud compared to it. The moment I summoned it, I felt the massive amounts of knowledge flowing into me. However, when I reached out and grasped a shard, the amount of knowledge cramming into my head increased by a hundred-fold and I felt as if my head would explode from mental overload. Merlin told me I was crying tears of blood as I struggled to dislodge that shard. Something happened to me when I touched the Talisman and I suddenly understood almost all knowledge that has ever existed, is existent, and will ever exist. I understood the flow of Life…and embraced it._

"_There is still a small part of my tale left untold. At eighteen, I gained knowledge beyond comprehension and immortality. I traveled to your world, Edward, because I knew the next heir to the Talisman would be here. Here I stayed for five-hundred years…until I found your father, Hohenheim. I taught him and Dante alchemy…but I made my first mistake. I thought Hohenheim was the successor…when it was you. Your father and Dante left me once they discovered what they wished to know – human transmutation and the Philosopher's stone. I watched in silence as they sacrificed thousands of people to create the Philosopher's stone. I watched in silence as they switched bodies and corroded their souls. I watched in silence as they failed human transmutation and created Envy.

* * *

_

"Yet, I have not lost hope, I have not given up. I will run a good race and finish it strong. If I can do it, you can too."

Aria took a deep breath and strode to Ed's side. The rain had stopped and the sun was finally coming out. The golden-haired alchemist lifted his gaze to meet Aria's and discovered that those crimson eyes seemed to radiate the same feeling that Mother used to give him. He felt like a six-year-old again as Aria reached down and helped him stand. She looked deeply into his eyes and seemed to challenge him as she clearly told him words he remembered once saying.

"Edward Elric, never give up. Stand up and walk forward. You have legs."

* * *

A/N:

Ah…there you have it! Another chapter! I'm so proud of myself.

I had severe writer's block for a week, so I'm sorry this chapter was slow in coming out.

Most of this chapter is mushy stuff. EdxWinry, Aria's background, the last line about standing up and walking forward was all dramatic crap. Srry…this is what happens when I eat expired ramen noodles…FORGIVE ME!

Next chapter will be action packed! Pretty much: Ed and Aria go to Xing and WINRY AND AL ARE NOT DEAD! Thus…rescue mission, and they find out who's behind the Xing uprising.

MUSTANG PROPOSES TO RIZA TOO! (in an _interesting_ way)


	6. Journey to Xing

Disclaimer: If I owned FMA, I would be dead from glee right now…and I'm not.

_Karia: I feel so loved. This is the longest fanfic I have EVER written…not really._

_Ed: You just contradicted yourself._

_Karia: Yes, I did, but I didn't._

_Ed: Huh?_

_Karia: I'm contradicting the fact that I'm contradicting myself with a contradiction like this contradiction, but I'm not because this is a contradiction of a contradiction._

_Ed: Just shut up…You're confusing the readers._

_Karia: Sorry, so, ANYWAYS, ENJOY CHAPTER 6!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 6: Before Xing

_"Stand up and walk forward. You have legs."_

Colonel Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was traveling to Central with Major Aria Shadowen, the Shadow Alchemist. Two days ago, someone burned the Rockbell house at night, apparently kidnapped Winry Rockbell, severely wounded Pinako Rockbell, and killed the family dog, Den. Ed relayed everything General Mustang told him on the phone and the homunculus Envy to Aria, who seemed to understand what was going on. She had dragged Ed all the way back to the train station to call General Mustang again, this time at two in the morning. The call had gone something like this:

_"Central Headquarters is currently past operating hours. Please redirect your call."_

_"This is Aria Shadowen, State Alchemist. Get me General Roy Mustang."_

_"Please wait a moment – click – Hello, this is Roy Mustang speaking."_

_"General Mustang, this is Aria Shadowen, the Shadow Alchemist, calling from Rizenpool. I called to give you an emergency mission update. Just an hour ago, someone burned down the Rockbell house. The Fullmetal was currently at the train station calling you. Winry Rockbell is missing and Pinako is in critical condition. Colonel Elric also tells me that a homunculus that can change shape took my form to lure him away from the house. Due to the chain of events, I'm sure that the serial murderer is directly pertinent to the uprising in Xing if my base assumption is true: Alphonse Elric is missing in action. My request is for you to accelerate the autopsy and confirm my hypothesis. Edward Elric and I will return to Central for your results and mission briefing. Thank you."_

_"Alright, I will await you in Central. Come to headquarters immediately and give me every detail. Oh, and Shadow Alchemist, you currently have 100 million cens in your research funds. Tell the Fullmetal he has 140 million."_

_"I will. Good night, General Mustang – click."

* * *

_

Now, Edward Elric was riding a train straight to Central in a first-class compartment with Aria. She forced him to tell her his life story and seemed to analyze it. Apparently, she seemed aware of almost everything that had ever happened in history, so she was barely surprised at his queer background. However, Aria took extreme notice at the fact Al had once been the Philosopher's Stone and could transmute without a circle, but then lost four years of his memories.

The trip was mostly in silence. Ed slept for most of the trip while Aria constantly leafed through a book called **Advanced Swordsmanship Mastery** by Alexis Marilee. The quietness was making Ed feel slightly unnatural, so he mustered his courage and asked Aria, "Aria, is there anything else you can tell me about the Talisman? I know what it is, but why does the Gate need it every five-hundred years?"

Aria looked up from her book and softened her usually overpowering eyes when she saw Ed. She shut the book gently and set it aside before leaning back in her seat. "I knew you would ask that sometime. It seems like all geniuses have an insatiable craving for knowledge. However, before I tell you, I'm warning you that this might be very…_surprising_ information. Once you know, you'll carry a burden heavier than anything you've ever experienced.

"There are four worlds in total, separated by four Gates. There is a Talisman of Knowledge in the square formed by the four Gates. However, the fourth world is better known as Hell, and all of the corruption from the other three worlds is concentrated there. The Gates separate the corruption and evil from spreading, but they weaken slowly over time. Every five-hundred years, the Gate will choose someone extraordinarily talented from amongst the three worlds to attain a Shard from the Talisman of Knowledge. Without that Shard, the Gates will eventually weaken until they can no longer hold back the evil. You will notice that through the history of every country, morals and life seem to deteriorate for approximately five-hundred years until it gets better suddenly again.

"That is what the Talisman of Knowledge does – it restores the Gates. Without it, the Gates would collapse and Hell will literally break loose. Once that happens, every living organism will die…in a horrible way. Edward Elric currently is the person carrying the task of delivering a shard of the Talisman to the Gate. If he dies, we all do. The reason the homunculus took my shape to lure you away was so that you could find out your brother apparently 'died' and the Rockbell house burned at the same time. They were hoping that would break your spirit enough to force suicide. I believe it almost worked."

Ed interrupted in surprise. "What do you mean by Al 'apparently dying' and who is 'they'?"

"I warned you that the information might be surprising. If my theory is correct, then Alphonse Elric is not dead…neither is Winry Rockbell. The 'they' is the person behind the Xing uprising and the serial murdering in the Eastern region. Her name is probably quite familiar to you – Dante."

Aria held out her arm to stop the young man sitting across to her from leaping up in shock. Ed took a deep breath and sat back down, crossing his arms and leaning back as a signal for Aria to continue. After all, he did outrank her…not that Aria seemed to care. She could probably get a huge promotion with the information she knew. The Shadow Alchemist continued.

"Dante still needs the Philosopher's Stone, but when you foiled her plans three years ago, she fled this world and ended up making a treaty with the Chaos Realm's evils. They promised her immortality if she could stop Edward Elric from getting the Talisman.

"She decided to kill two birds with one stone – getting immortality and the Philosopher's stone. She is uninterested in gaining immortality for her own body because of its decay, so she wants to use the Philosopher's Stone and attach her soul to another body, presumably Winry Rockbell's body. However, Dante does not possess enough alchemic power to create the Philosopher's Stone, so she needs to find someone else to create it for her.

"She knows you wouldn't help her if the world depended on it, so she set her sights on Alphonse Elric, your brother. That is why I'm sure Alphonse Elric is alive. Edward, the difference between you and Alphonse is that if Alphonse dies, you'll probably kill yourself, but if you die, Alphonse will most likely seek any possible means of bringing you back. Dante thinks that by kidnapping Alphonse and faking his death, you would kill yourself and she can make Alphonse create the Philosopher's Stone with a little prompting."

"So if I had…" Ed cringed at what would have happened if Aria hadn't stopped him from doing the unforgivable. "You're saying that the fate of three worlds depends on me, Dante's still alive, Al's still alive, Winry's still alive, and Dante has both of them hostage in Xing?"

Aria nodded. "Not only that, but Dante's trying to kill you, make Al create the Philosopher's Stone, take over Ms. Rockbell's body, and gain immortality. Of course, even if she kills you, the Chaos Realm won't give her immortality. She'll die with the rest of us. That is why, above all, you must not die. The fate of four worlds depends solely one you."

Her words seemed to hit Ed really hard and make him realize just how huge the problems he was involved with were.

The rest of the three-day ride, one day now, was in silence.

* * *

Ed noticed, as the train pulled into the station, there was a mob waiting in the boarding area with signs, cameras, and wild cheering. Security personnel were apparently trying to keep them at bay with arms spread out wide and taunt. Ed looked out the window and wondered what all the commotion was about until the train slid to a complete stop and Aria got up to get her small suitcase that had nothing but notes, two books, and a spare change of clothing. Ed grabbed his suitcase and coat off the top rack and smirked when he remembered, back when he was sixteen, he couldn't even reach the shelf without Al's help. He had grown a lot. 

Ed stepped off the train in his usual attire (red coat, black shirt, black pants, boots, braided hair, etc.) completely unaware of why the mob was gathering. Aria seemed to realize and she whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "Ed, brace yourself…once we get past the security."

Puzzled by what she meant, Ed hardly even realized they had reached the arrival counter and had to turn in their tickets. Aria went through and Ed followed suit until he got near enough to the crowd to hear what they were cheering.

"ELRIC! ELRIC! ELRIC!"

"FULLMETAL! OVER HERE! LOOK THIS WAY!"

"KYAAAA! TOO COOL!"

"Look, sonny, that's the legendary Fullmetal!"

Ed walked past a security guard and found a camera and microphone in his face. An overexcited reporter babbled to the camera before turning to him and asking, "So, Edward Elric, our special celebrity, how do you –"

Of course, the mob wouldn't let the reporters hog their cherished celebrity and questions poured in from every side. He had to fight his way through the outstretched hands, the dumb slips of papers for him to autograph, the parents pushing their children toward him so they could see the legendary Fullmetal, and even the crazy fan girls pulling at his hair and clothes, trying to get a 'souvenir' from Ed. The crowd nearly smothered him with questions.

"Is it true you can perform human transmutation?"

"You fought and sealed seven immortal monsters single-handedly right?"

"Didn't you create a magical stone that grants wishes?"

"You're the youngest State Alchemist in history, right?"

"Can you come to my birthday party?"

Ed did not attempt to answer, but smiled foolishly with bewilderment for the cameras that were blinding him with their constant flashing. He really would have been lost if he hadn't heard a familiar voice call out to him over the crowd.

"Fullmetal, the General wants to see you," said first Lieutenant Captain Riza Hawkeye, unperturbed in her sharp, military demeanor. She was unchanged since the last time Ed saw her – still wearing her blue, freshly ironed military uniform, her hair done back in a neat clip, a loaded gun resting in her holster, and those red eyes sharp as a hawk's in accuracy. Ed's foolish simper changed into a smirk when relief washed over him. Once he was in the hands of the military, he didn't have to worry about crazy mobs.

Ed glanced around at the excited mass of civilians clamoring for his attention behind the military personnel now holding them back. "Lieutenant Riza, why is there this HUGE, crazy mob at the station? I never had this problem before."

Riza Hawkeye replied in a clear, concise answer, "Colonel Elric, during your three years of absence, rumors circulated widely because the public seemed attracted to the fact you were the youngest State Alchemist in history, sided with the common people, and apparently sacrificed your life uncovering an enormous military conspiracy and saving your brother's life. The brunt of gratitude for our new, democratic government rests mainly on you and General Mustang's shoulders. Mustang had these problems as well for a year or two after you left, so these crowds should die down."

"Great…another year of these 'warm welcomes,' just what I need…" Ed reached the military car and reached for the door when another military soldier intercepted his hand and opened it for him. Ed looked at the man questioningly before Hawkeye interjected, "You're a Colonel now, which makes you a very high-ranking military officer."

Oh yeah, Ed tended to forget his rank. Even when he was a Major, he found it strange that people twice his age saluted him and talked so formally. "Whatever. Aria?"

The Shadow Alchemist was nowhere in sight. Most likely, she had used that strange method of 'teleportation' to escape the smothering sea of people, so Ed shrugged and got inside the car.

"She'll catch up on her own. Drive."

* * *

Mustang was rather surprised when someone suddenly appeared in the middle of his office. His immediate reflexes brought his gloved hand up to snapping position, but, upon closer inspection, he identified the person as the Shadow Alchemist and lowered his arm. 

"Ah, Shadow Alchemist, don't you know you should knock before entering? Especially when you enter a superior's office."

"My apologies, General. However, I will defend my conduct with the argument that I believed it was necessary to deliver my information with all due speed."

"Your fault is dismissed. Now, Shadow Alchemist, what do you have to report?" Roy propped elbows on his desk and rested his chin on his hands, making a rather superior and professional impression. "Go ahead and sit."

Aria took a seat on a couch very efficiently aligned behind her and began her report. "Almost a week ago, you sent the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, and I on a mission to Rizenpool. We were to track down a serial murderer. You told us that there were two victims in Rizenpool, but a total of seven in the entire Eastern region. All victims were apparently unscathed, but killed through some form of advanced alchemy.

"Four days ago, at 2315 o'clock, we suspect the serial murderer burnt the Rockbell house while the Fullmetal called you at the train station about his brother, Alphonse Elric, the Diamond Alchemist. Apparently, a homunculus that had the ability to shift shape took my form and lured the Fullmetal there. I was nearby when I saw the house burst into flame and reached the scene two minutes later. It was raining heavily at the time, meaning that the fire was electrical or started with alchemy. Recognizing the building as the Rockbell abode, I transmuted the surrounding air to extinguisher foam and doused the fire before going inside. I found Pinako Rockbell severely wounded and Winry Rockbell missing. I took the older Rockbell to the nearest house for treatment and returned to inspect the remnants of the burnt building, only to find the Fullmetal already on the scene."

Mustang jotted down important details in his notebook before adding, "There's obviously more to this than you're telling me, Shadow Alchemist. Why did the homunculus have Fullmetal return to the house? What happened to Winry Rockbell? How does this case relate to the uprisings in Xing and Alphonse Elric?"

Aria leaned back in the couch and closed her eyes shortly before opening them to look Roy in the eye. "General Mustang, if I tell you those answers, you're choosing to involve yourself in a huge race against time and conspiracy involving four worlds and about 30 billion people. Are you sure you want to know?"

Roy leaned back in his swivel chair and smirked at Aria. "Need you ask?" Aria's expression did not change, but her eyes intensified until Roy felt like they were boring holes into him. She seemed to weigh the consequences in her head before continuing.

"Someone is trying to make Edward Elric commit suicide, or at least force him into despair. Roy Mustang, I am going to refer to you shortly without your title because this is something way beyond the military, this country, or even this world. After I tell you, then you must come to Xing with us later. Once you're involved, you can't go back.

"The person who manipulated the homunculi three years ago is the serial murderer and the mastermind behind the Xing revolution. Her name is Dante and she transmutes without a circle like the Fullmetal. I'll tell you that Edward Elric has a quest that will be either the salvation of three worlds, or the destruction of four. His mission is more important than any military command or order, so make sure you do nothing to hinder him. That is, you shouldn't hinder him in his quest for something called the Talisman of Knowledge unless you want the Chaos Realm to break loose. I'll explain more in the Xing-Amestris border Headquarters."

Roy Mustang took in all of these new ideas with hidden bewilderment – four worlds, Chaos Realm, Talisman of Knowledge, four worlds…there were all very farfetched ideas. "Those sound like terms from a video game. Have you told the Fullmetal all of this? Does he know his brother and Winry Rockbell are still alive?"

Aria shook her head and explained, "I need to confirm my theory first. Do you have the results of the autopsy?"

Roy reached into his desk drawer and rummaged around for the autopsy report. Finding it, he pulled out the crisp sheet of white paper and scanned it for the answer. "It's surprising, but Alphonse Elric's body was not among the dead members of the scouting party. Since you had no way to know this beforehand, I'll have to assume your theory, no matter how far fetched, is correct. However, you still have not explained how the serial murderer and the victims relate to the rest."

"According to that information, I have no doubt in my theory. We need to get to Xing immediately. General Mustang, I have already told you more than I intended to reveal to anyone else other than Edward Elric. If I told you any more, I would have to kill you."

Roy Mustang smirked. "I doubt you could. Is that how you address a military superior?"

Suddenly, he found Aria two inches from his face with her crimson eyes burning so intensely he thought they would burn holes into him. Her voice was calm but her words were cold. "Roy Mustang, I'll tell you a little more. I received the task Edward Elric is currently trying to complete a thousand years ago. I am 1,075 years old, a master of sorcery, and currently the most powerful alchemist alive. If you want to cross me, you're welcome to at your own cost."

General Mustang, for one of the first times in his life, was speechless and nodded dumbly. A sharp knock came at the door and Hawkeye poked her head in. "General Mustang, Fullmetal is here to see you." Mustang shook his head and said, "The Shadow Alchemist, Ms. Shadowen already told me all I need to know. Tell him to secure the earliest train tickets to Xing tomorrow…three of them, first class. Oh, and Riza, could you stay behind for a second?"

Hawkeye relayed the message to Ed and walked into the room, surprised to see that Ms. Shadowen, who had been there a second earlier, was gone. Roy had seen her clap her hands together and apparently move all of her body's particles from one place to another at the speed of light, but the First Lieutenant didn't know that.

Now Hawkeye was in General Mustang's office, knowing exactly why he had called her Riza instead of Hawkeye. It had to be something out of the military…,which meant…

Roy got out from behind his desk and personally shut the door, making sure it was securely locked. He walked over the Riza and took a deep breath to muster his courage. "First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, I will be going to Xing with Fullmetal and Shadow Alchemist tomorrow. Therefore, I need to give you this mission ahead of time, but you have a choice whether or not to accept."

Hawkeye wondered at what Roy meant by giving her a choice. Mostly, he just gave her a mission and never asked her opinion. "Ready, sir."

Roy seemed to fumble with something in his pocket before continuing. "This mission will be harsh, challenging, and very time consuming. It'll require commitment, strength, and every last resource you have. You and only you can complete this mission. Hawkeye, are you sure?"

Riza nodded smartly in a military fashion, wondering what this mission might be. Roy never warned you about a mission beforehand unless it was extremely dangerous, but she would rather die than to let Roy down.

"Yes, sir!" Roy paled slightly before a barely perceptible red tint stole across his face. "First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, I order you…I order you…to…" Roy seemed to struggle with the last words, keeping Hawkeye in suspense at the harsh mission she was about to receive.

"I order you to…marry me."

There was a surprised silence as Riza made sure she wasn't dreaming. It was far too good to be true, but this was far too realistic to be a dream. Finally, she regained her composure and saluted smartly, trying to suppress the rising joy in her chest. "Mission accepted, SIR!"

Roy smiled and got on one knee. "Then this is yours." He took her hand and slipped a beautiful diamond ring smoothly onto her finger. Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye were officially engaged.

* * *

Ed got all the way from the train station to the annoying general's office just to find out Aria already reported everything for him. Now he dreaded having to go back to the train station to purchase the tickets, shuddering at the thought of another fanatical mob. He bumped into another soldier along the way, and the soldier immediately apologized thoroughly with a salute and backed away. 

Come to think of it…now, he was a Colonel, so he didn't have to go to the train station at all. Turning to the soldier who had just bumped into him, Ed commanded in a stern, military voice, "Go to the Central train station and purchase three first-class tickets for the Xing-bound train at nine in the morning. That's an order. Place them on my desk once you get back." The soldier saluted and scurried off to complete his task. Ed smirked his trademark grin as he left, reveling in the power the position granted. No wonder Mustang was such a bastard – who could resist?

Actually, upon closer inspection, Ed had no idea where his office was. Ed wandered to the first floor directory and asked for the lists. The girl at the desk blushed deeply and fumbled through her drawers before digging out the office assignments. Ed nodded his thanks as he took the lists and ran his finger down the names until he reached the 'E' section. There it was – Elric, Edward, Colonel, Room 153, second floor. Ironically, Ed noted, it was Roy Mustang's old office.

He handed the lists back to the furiously blushing receptionist and made his way to his office. Opening the door, Ed noticed two things – Aria was inside the room and there were heaps of paperwork on the table.

"Aria, when'd you get here?" Ed directed the question at the other alchemist. Aria jerked her head towards the paperwork. Ed got the point. Groaning, he reluctantly sat down at the desk and began flipping through the papers. Most of it was boring crap relating to his return, the events in his absence, his promotion, his subordinates, his missions, etc. Soon, Ed stopped reading them and started signing them uniformly without discernment. It made the paperwork, finished, and his hand, sore, much faster.

Two hours later, Ed flopped forward on his desk, worn out from signing a stack of papers almost as tall as he was as a sixteen-year-old. Then, though Ed hated to admit, it wasn't that huge of a stack. Aria waited and watched patiently, not disturbing the irascible colonel while the paperwork was still undone. However, once Ed finished, she addressed him directly without any reference to his rank superiority.

"Elric, General Mustang is coming with us to Xing. I've explained the bare surface of your quest to him, and he'll make sure no military duty hinders you. However…before you go, I suggest you to do something about that crest on your back.

Ed twisted his head around to glance at Dante's crest on the back of his jacket and failed due to the lack of flexibility. He took it off and spread out the cloth in front of him. "I guess you're right. I don't want Dante's crest anymore. I'll change it to something else…"

Aria interjected. "That's my crest, not Dante's. I taught Hohenheim and Dante a long time ago, and passed down my crest to them. I think every Guardian has had their own. Having a personal crest signifies that you are an extremely powerful alchemist who will most likely carve a place in history."

Ed paused for a moment, and then replied, "You have alot to explain on the train ride to Xing about my father and Dante. Oh, and, technically, I'll naturally become a powerful alchemist if I can study it for five-hundred years like you, soI'll change the crest."

He clapped his hands together and transmuted the symbol on the back of his jacket from the snake wrapped around the cross under two winds and a crown to a pair of dragons twining around the same cross under more slender, elegant wings and a diamond shape. "It just popped into my head, so I changed it to that."

Aria scrutinized the symbol and nodded sharply. "You chose well. Keep in mind that the crest you created will be remembered for at least half a millennia. Bring that crest prestige and honor, and carry it well, Edward Elric."

Ed nodded before smirking, effectively dispersing the solemn mood. "You sound like an old gypsy, Aria." She brushed the comment off and reminded him briefly before she left the room, "Remember, Dante is our enemy, but rescuing Alphonse Elric and Winry Rockbell are the priority for reasons you do not yet know."

"Why?"

"…I'll tell you when the time comes."

She did not explain more. Aria knew she couldn't explain more, or Edward Elric would refuse to go along and summon the Talisman.

* * *

The train station was already bustling with activity early in the morning, but several military personnel saw General Mustang, Colonel Elric, and Major Shadowen off at the station. After all, they were going into a potential war, so the risks, though low, were still there. 

Ed sat in his personal train compartment. Actually, each one of them had a personal train compartment with a personal bed, a personal waiter, and a personal phone line. Ed noted the difference this was to his travels with Al on all his previous missions. Riding in a hard seat with nothing but a wooden table in between him and Al was much more preferable than this pampered riding. Ed felt awkward when treated too richly and would give anything to switch places with someone else. He just wasn't used to this.

The train pulled out of the station with a jarring whistle and Ed watched as the station faded away with the accelerating train. Ed leaned one arm on the windowsill and gazed outside at the passing scenery. The rolling green hills and rocky slopes of mountainsides reminded him of the countryside, which reminded him of Rizenpool, which reminded him of Winry. Damn, why did his thoughts always drift back to her and Al? Ed shook the thoughts from his head as he heard the compartment door slide open.

And, instead of the waiter, he found someone pointing a loaded gun at his head.

* * *

Aria felt that familiar chill down her spine and knew that something was severely wrong once the train set out from the station. The loaded gun pointed at her head by some unknown terrorist confirmed it. Aria turned around and shot the terrorist a false, worried look and stuttered, "W-Who are y-you? What d-do you w-want?" 

The terrorist smiled and inched closer. "My, aren't you the pretty one. That's right, girlie, just come along quietly and we won't hur-!"

Aria ducked suddenly, causing the man to fire just above her head. She flattened herself to the ground and used a spinning kick to kick the man's legs from under him before rapidly clapping her hands together and using the fibers of the rug on the train compartment floor to make temporary ropes binding the man to the ground.

With a deft kick, Aria separated the terrorist from his weapon and placed a hand over his throat before the man could say anything. A bright light of alchemy flashed for a moment before the man found his vocal cords completely incapacitated by some strange, horribly painful, icyfeeling.

Aria knew she had hardened the man's vocal cords by freezing them, making it impossible to vibrate them. The man, now effectively silenced, posed no threat seeing that he was securely bound to the floor.

Someone had to feel sorry for the terrorist that was assigned to the Fullmetal and the General's rooms. Not that her attacker was much better off. People seriously underestimated alchemists these days.

Aria left her room to find Roy and Edward. It was best they decided what to do before someone acted rashly.

* * *

Mustang heard the door slide open and immediately knew that it was not the waiter because a waiter would knock at the door before entering. Instinct made him dash straight to thewall containing the doorand flatten himself against it, safely putting him out of the way of any bullets or the sightline of the intruder. He brought his gloves up to snapping position, and, sure enough, a terrorist with a gun very unprofessionally charged inside without stealth. 

"SNAP" and a small burst of flame was all it took to rid Roy of any unwanted visitors. The flame was dangerous in closed spaces, but sometimes it was necessary for quick action. He didn't have time to do anything else. Roy slid his door shut again, relieved the unconscious and slightly burnt terrorist of his gun, and sat on his bed, working out a sensible way to fix the situation. Well, knowing Shadow and Fullmetal, there shouldn't be any need to rescue them. If anyone needed rescuing, it was the terrorists attacking them.

Roy smirked. Terrorized trains were fun to sort out, but he lamented the fact that he couldn't gain any more promotions for the job.

Then someone rapped on his door again, causing Roy to bring his hand up with the intent of attacking whoever came in next. Then his common sense told him no terrorist would knock before they entered. "Come in." He still kept his handraised - just in case.

Aria stuck her head inside. "Come with me."

* * *

Ed's immediate reaction was to attack. Actually, it was more instinct than reaction. The poor terrorist never had a chance to react before he found a fist in his stomach. The punch was swiftly followed by a sharp uppercut, then a resounding crack of a broken jaw. 

Ed walked over to the groaning terrorist and was about to speak when the terrorist rolled away and pointed his gun at the alchemist. "Don't move, or I'll shoot!" Ed backed away slowly until he was against the wall of the train. The terrorist tightened his grip on his gun and pointed it at Ed, who brought his hands up from his sides, lightly brushing them together as he raised his arms in apparent surrender.

The moment Ed's hands came in contact with the wall behind, the poor, unsuspecting man found a boulder dropping onto his head and, as he pulled the trigger in panic, the bullet _bounced_ off his victim's right arm without leaving a trace.

Ed was glad he still had an automail arm. If not, he would have sustained some form of injury from the stray bullet. However, now there was an unconscious, twitching train hijacker lying on the floor of his room with a thirty kilogram boulder lying on top of him.

Ed sighed and slid the compartment room door back shut to figure a way out of the dilemma. Well, assuming that there was a terrorist in his room, there had to be others who'd come looking once they sensed something was wrong. Ed's spirits fell when he realized that if he took down one, he'd have to take down them all. It reminded him of that time Mustang had stuck him on a hijacked train years ago, expecting him to solve the problem due to his hot-headedness.

He heard footsteps outside his door and a sharp, rapping knock. _'More attackers!'_ Ed groaned mentally before centering his weight, ready to attack whoever came in through the door.

The compartment door slid open and Ed darted forward, bringing his right, automail fist forward in a very punishing punch, only to find it easily blocked by another hand...a familiar hand.

Aria sighed as she chided, "You should think before you act. If I hadn't blocked that, you would have sent me flying into the opposite wall. But let us in, we need to discuss the situation."

Behind Aria was General Mustang, also unscathed despite the hijackers' attempts. Roy commented smugly, "Looks like you finished yours off with quite an exaggerated show." Mustang jerked his head towards the unconscious man lying trapped beneath Ed's transmuted boulder.

Ed ignored the snide comment and asked, "So, what should we do? There's roughly 150 passengers on the train, and i'd say about 20 hijackers, maximum, and three of us. Shouldn't prove too hard..."

Roy thought for a moment. "Shadow, you're probably best at stealth, so take the front of the train where the hijackers most likely are. Fullmetal, you go from above and tackle the middle of the train. I'll take the back. Capture, not kill. Make the safety of the passengers your first priority, and meet back in Fullmetal's room once you're finished and all terrorists are secured. Go!"

The three split up and went to there designated positions.

* * *

Aria knew the most likely targets of the hijack were probably either Edward or Roy. Her main worry was the fact that, though General Mustang and Colonel Elric were famous and their fighting prestige was well known, the terrorists were still bold enough to launch a full assault. Assassinating or kidnapping them off the streets of Central or in their private quarters would have been easier than attacking a train because then the targets would be less on their guard and easier to capture. Also, Central may have already noticed the sudden cut of communication, thus knowing immediately something. 

Perhaps there was another reason - another reason for the attackers on the train...Aria heard someone approaching and immediately grabbed a pipe on the ceiling to pull herself upwards. As a hijacker walked past, he never bothered to look upwards until a booted foot caught him squarely on the head, knocking him unconscious.

Aria dropped from the ceiling without a sound and landed in a crouch. She clapped her hands together silently and used the circled energy to make the man move. She levitated him to the ceiling and fastened him there with transmuted, metal beams. Oh, and Aria gagged him with a clod from the carpet as well.

She continued on her way invisibly by rearranging her body's particles so rapidly so that they did not reflect or absorb light. Therefore, she was literally invisible to the human eye, which either saw reflected colors ora lack of light. She was, after all, the shadow alchemist.

But, Aria thought as her mind wandered back to the question, why would the train be hijacked if the attempt was almost sure to fail? Could it be that...perhaps someone wanted to use a hijacked train as a mask to see how their alchemy worked? Or maybe there was some type of bomb on the train that would detonate the moment they confirmed Roy Mustang and Edward Elric were aboard... or perhaps it had something to do with Xing...

There were too many possibilities...so far. Aria decided that she would force whoever was in charge to tell her...before something unplanned happened.

* * *

Once Ed was out the window and safely on top of the train, Roy let himself out into the hall and silently crept up to the door. He peered inside and saw two men armed with heavy guns prowling up and down the next train compartment. The passengers were all sitting with their hands up in the air, looking frightened and confused. 

Mustang remembered that, in a closed area, it would be extremely unwise to use his flame, no matter how perfectly controlled he thought he was. If the train caught fire...well, that would defeat the whole purpose of saving it.

Mustang scratched a small alchemy array into the door with a piece of chalk in his pocket. He made sure the circle was further down on the door so the terrorists wouldn't see the blue light of transmutation. Mustang smiled to himself as he activated it. The biggest downfall of his enemies was, though he was the Flame Alchemist, Roy Mustang could perform other types of alchemy quite well, thank you very much.

The two hijackers inside had no idea what had happened when the carpet suddenly climbed up their legs, trapping them, and two heavy blocks of metal fell out of the ceiling, hitting them squarely on the head and knocking them out cold. The passengers had no idea either until they saw their celebrated General Mustang open the door fromthe next compartment, walk inside, smile, and assure them that everything was under control.

* * *

Ed knew, from previous experience, that there was a whole lot of wind pressure outside. However, in a stroke of genius, Ed thought of alchemizing the soles of his shoes into magnets, helping him stay on the train. Now, on top of the train, Ed fought his way forward against the howling wind whistling past him towards the center section of the train... 

...until he noticed something fastened on top of the train that wasn't supposed to be there: a timed detonation bomb. There was one on every compartment and the count showed two minutes until detonation. Two minutes, 100mph wind,twenty train compartments, 150 passengers, 15 hijackers, 20 tons of coal. Ed gritted his teeth - this totally sucked.

Since there was no time to waste, Ed worked his way to the first bomb on the last train car, clapping his hands and trying to break it off...only he realized that would trigger the bomb. Dammit, how the heck was he supposed to get this off?

Another stroke of genius - all he had to do was alchemize the fuse into something unflammable, and the bomb wouldn't go off unless someone went and shot it. Ed clapped his hands and took the casing off the bomb, only to find a better idea - the bombs were ignited by gunpowder, which wouldn't do anything if wet or tampered with. Ed transmuted the powder to sugar, then moved onto the next train car. No one would have been able to tell the difference unless they tasted the 'gunpowder.'

One minute 49 seconds: 19 more compartments to go. Ed knew he was hard pressed for time, but there wasn't any other way. If he could save at least some of the cars...NO! NO! NO! BAD THINKING! NEVER RESIGN TO LOST! SAVE THE PASSENGERS! Ed's conscience immediately berated him for his momentary slip.

He moved onto the second car. No time, no time...

"Darn, WHERE'S ARIA WHEN YOU NEED HER!"

"RIGHT HERE...IDIOT!" Aria's voice, though it started as a shout, Ed barely heard it because of the distance and the wind. He looked up from the currently disabled bomb and saw Aria standing about ten train cars ahead of him, clapping her hands and transmuting something. "STOP STARING AND START DISABLING THE BOMBS ON YOUR END! TIME!"

Her last statement jerked the golden-haired alchemist out of his shock and he immediately leapt the gap between the second-to-last and third-to-last train cars. Clapping his hands, he disabled that one as well. One minute 30 seconds, total of5 bombs disabled.

One minute18 seconds. Total of7 bombs disabled.

One minute 4 seconds. Total of 9 bombs disabled

52 seconds. Total of 11 bombs disabled. However, the train hit a sudden jump in the tracks and Ed lost balance for a brief moment. However, it was enough for him to stumble, fall, and slide backwards precariously before his automail arm caught in a handbar for the overhead latch.

Ed struggled back upright and made his way back to the bomb. He glanced at the ticking clock and realized, to his horror, that the fall had costed him six vital seconds.

46 seconds. Total of 12 bombs disabled.

39 seconds. Total of 14 bombs disabled

27 seconds. Total of 16 bombs disabled.

16. Total of 17 bombs disabled.

4 seconds. Ed gritted his teeth. There wasn't enough time. One last bomb to go, only four seconds. He leapt onto the last train compartment and clapped his hands together. It was futile, he knew that it was impossible to disable a bomb in three seconds. It usually took 15. What could he do?

3 seconds.

2 seconds In desperation, Ed did exactly what instinct told him - he tore the entire ceiling to the train car off, then threw it with all his might away from the train.

1 second.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

Ed collapsed into a sitting position. Tiring, yes, but very rewarding. Ed had the satisfaction of knowing he saved a train in two minutes, with100mph wind,twenty train compartments, 150 passengers, 15 hijackers, 20 tons of coal.

Aria smiled. "Well done."

The passengers below looked upwards at the missing ceiling, saw Ed and Aria on the top of the train...

...and applauded.

Roy was still in the back of the train, completely unaware of what he had just narrowly escaped. Extra bonus, Ed thought with a smirk.

Xing, here we come.

* * *

A/N: 

YES! I AM EVIL! FEAR ME! MUAHAHAHAHAHAAAA…

Next chapter will be mostly in XING! RESCUE MISSION!

REVIEW! (if I don't get at least 7 reviews, I won't post it! THAT MEANS YOU!)


	7. Xing Rescue Mission Start

Disclaimer: (Insert some witty sentence pertaining to me not owning FMA here)

_Karia: Seven's a lucky number!_

_Winry: I thought you weren't into that kind of stuff._

_Karia: Nah, you haven't seen me before exams. I brought seven lucky rabbit feet, my lucky pencil, and wore lucky everything – even socks! Oh, and I used a lucky eraser too._

_Winry: O.o_

_Karia: I still failed all my exams…_

_Winry: …proving that those things don't work. Now, will you please get on with the story? I'm waiting to be rescued here!_

_Karia: Aw, waiting for your dear Edo-kun to come rescue you? (Winry brandishes her wrench) Okay! OKAY! I GET THE POINT!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjustushi**

Chapter 7: Xing Rescue Mission Start

Ed's first impression of the Xing Headquarters was the sudden increase of heat. The moment he stepped off that hijacked train, a blast of thick, hot air hit him in the face and smothered his breathing for a few brief seconds. There were already military personnel rushing aboard the train – some to get home and some to investigate the secured terrorists, compliment of Ed, Aria, and Roy.

Ed's heart pounded in his chest, as if nervously preparing for the upcoming task. It was his fault Al and Winry's lives were in danger, so it was only natural that the full responsibility of their rescue should rest on his shoulders. The feeling of responsibility and determination also mixed with, well, annoyance. Dante had caused him enough problems in the past, when he was sixteen, resulting in Al being the Philosopher's Stone, almost immortal Homunculi constantly after their necks, his actually dying once and being stuck on the other side of the Gate for over five years. Now the four-hundred-year-old hag was back with another immortality scheme, and was forcing him through all of this trouble…again.

* * *

Roy found Ed's lack of heat tolerance and obvious annoyance rather amusing, and, in hopes of making Ed more annoyed, secretly assigned Ed to the military dorm with a broken air-conditioner. The General wasn't surprised when he heard an explosion followed by a loud stream of curses from down the hall, towards the Elric's room. Closer inspection would show that the Fullmetal Alchemist had attempted fixing the air conditioner via alchemy and failed miserably, causing the broken air conditioner to combust violently. 

It was only to be expected that, by the time Ed got down to the mess hall for dinner, he was in a rather dangerous mood, causing most people to steer clear of him…except for one that Ed knew rather well. The moment Ed saw Major Armstrong, his low spirits plummeted even lower, if that was possible.

"HM? IS THAT EDWARD, MY BOY? WHY, WHAT A FORTUNATE COINCEDENCE!" The major exclaimed the moment he caught sight of Ed, the purple sparkles glittering with enthusiasm. Ed groaned in despair and resigned himself to his fate, nearly falling face first into the mashed potatoes sitting on the plate before him. The soldiers sitting on either side of Ed scooted farther away, not wanting to be caught anywhere near the Major.

Ed smiled nervously. "Ahaha…nice to see you, Major Armstrong…" Ed's sentenced stopped short when Armstrong suddenly cut off his air supply in a huge, bear hug. Though Ed grew quite a bit while he was across the Gate, the Major was still and entire three heads taller, and was swinging the younger, smaller alchemist around like a flail, much to Ed's discomfort.

"MEH! YOU'VE GROWN, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?" Armstrong finally set a rather bedraggled Ed back in his seat. "WE THOUGHT YOU HAD DIED!"

Ed began eating right away with a renewed haste, eager to hasten his escape from Armstrong, and answered through a mouthful of food. "In another world, literally. Ah, Major Armstrong, that reminds me, I came here to find news of Al. Do you have any idea about his capture?"

Armstrong's expression darkened considerably. "AH…About Alphonse...that's classified information, so I can't tell it freely. Trust me, I wish I could, Major Elric."

Ed smirked, "It's Colonel Elric to you. I order you to tell me, how's that?" Armstrong's eyes widened. "A COLONEL! WHY, EDWARD, THIS IS WONDERFUL NEWS!" Armstrong crushed Ed in another bear hug. "Then, because a _colonel_ has ordered me to answer, I have no choice but to comply.

"As you probably know, Major Alphonse Elric, the Diamond Alchemist, went Missing in Action after he lead a search party through a supposedly 'secured' area in search of clues and possible remnants of the rebellion there. We lost contact with his party about 7.8 kilometers southwest of Xing Central, a city noted for its secret revolutionary actions. This happened around 1500 o' clock, a week and a half ago. Currently, we believe Alphonse is held captive in an underground revolutionary headquarters inside Xing Central. We would send undercover agents to confirm this, but the major obstacle is finding some capable enough for the mission, preferably a State Alchemist, as well as familiar with Xing customs and fluent in its language."

Ed had taken out his pocket book and recorded as much useful information as he could. When Armstrong apparently stopped, Ed snapped the small, leather bound book shut and tucked it back into his red coat. "Is that all?"

"General Mustang can give you a complete briefing and the fine details, if you intend to go after your brother." Ed mentally cursed his luck. Roy would most likely take advantage of Ed's request for information to aggravate him more. Ed had a sneaking suspicion Roy had purposely arranged for him to get the room with a broken air-conditioning system too.

"Thanks, Armstrong, I'll go see Roy as soon as I can. Oh, and could you find someone to fix the air-conditioner in room 318 B? I'd appreciate it."

Without another word, Ed grabbed his tray and left, dumping his remaining food and plates in a pile of dishes before heading out of the mess hall, toward General Mustang's big, _air-conditioned_ room. Ed was actually realizing just how useful his rank could be. No wonder Roy used his rank to tick Ed off so much when Roy had been Colonel. It was just too tempting.

Yes, power was nice indeed, if it wasn't for the huge amount of paperwork that came with it.

Roy had his feet kicked up on his desk and was leaning back in his chair, checking his nails when he heard the approaching footsteps. Quickly taking his feet down, Roy slapped on a serious expression before answering the knocks. "Come in."

Then in came Ed…or rather, _Colonel Elric_, with a deadly glint in his eyes that obviously said something along the lines of _don't-tick-me-off-more-than-I-am-already._ Roy wasn't a General for nothing – he got the point, but wondered if it had anything to do with the broken air-conditioner.

"General! TELL ME EVERYTHING ABOUT AL NOW!" Roy winced as he felt his ears pop, but decided to push his luck and tried to tick Ed off more.

"Now, now, Colonel Elric, I cannot allow you to handle this matter until you've calmed down. I don't have a habit of sending frothing mad people on dangerous missions."

To Roy's utter surprise, Ed sobered immediately, and, after wasting a second to suppress his anger, the Fullmetal Alchemist took a deep breath and asked politely, "General Mustang, would you please give me the necessary information about my brother and permission to go after him?"

Roy raised an eyebrow, unbelieving of Ed's suddenly calm, almost professional attitude. Was the heat getting to Ed's head or something? Roy sighed and got out of his chair, turning his back towards Ed to see out the window.

"Oh? And what makes you think I'll send you on this mission? I believe there are better uses for your talent here in Headquarters. As a military leader, I can't send you out a mission that dangerous."

Roy's conscience berated him the moment the words left his mouth. That was a bit harsh on the younger alchemist, especially when Ed was asking about his brother. However, Roy's pride wouldn't let him take back his words, so all Roy could do was staring out of the window determinedly, waiting for Ed's reply.

The silence was so long that Roy thought Ed had left without a sound. The silence made him so uncomfortable that he actually considered an apology before he heard Ed's voice again from behind him, this time in a completely serious and different tone. It actually freaked Roy out to hear Ed talking like that.

"You'll let me go because you aren't a cold, self-centered military leader." Ed's voice was a pitch lower than usual, his words were spoken in a colder tone, his head was lowered, and his usually bright, golden eyes were hidden behind his bangs.

"Why not?" Roy asked despite himself, curious of Ed's response. Now he had never seen this side of the fiery Elric before. It was amazing that Ed wasn't blowing up on him, considering the extent Roy had ticked him off.

Roy waited though another long silence before receiving an answer. This time, Ed raised his head and met Roy's gaze with his own. Roy seemed taken aback at the determination and, dare he say, challenging glint in Ed's eyes.

"I'm not an idiot, Mustang. Since the first time we encountered the military, you were always helping us along, looking out for us. Sure, you were a real pain in the neck at times, I really wanted to kill you for a while, and you used Al and me a lot, for you own purposes, but you never did anything that would hurt us. You think I didn't notice? I'm not a genius for nothing – the moment I got back to Amestris, I read every newspaper for the last three years. I know of all the search parties you sent out looking for Al and me and found out just why you needed to climb ranks so much.

"Even more importantly, you looked after us, kept us out of trouble, and tried to monitor everything we did, making sure we didn't do anything too stupid. I…never really had a father. Hohenheim…he ditched Al, Mom, and me before I could even remember him, for his own purposes. You went out of your way, even as far as disobeying the military and setting your own dreams aside, just to make sure Al and I were safe. You really tick me off, probably now more then ever, but…I guess…you were the closest thing I ever had to a father. It's killing me to say this, but… I sort of looked up to you. That's why I don't believe you'll stop me from looking after my own, only, little brother."

Silence.

Roy refrained from slapping himself awake. The Edward Elric three years ago would have died rather than to admit what the current Ed had just told him. Oh God, what Ed just said made Roy feel old all of a sudden. He turned around to face Ed completely and smiled lightly.

"That other side of the Gate Ms. Shadowen told me about must be a very amazing place. You matured, Fullmetal, without me even noticing it. I guess I still thought you were the fiery, sixteen year old Edward who made rash decisions and had a short temper." Roy sighed in defeat. "Fine, you can go after your brother, Fullmetal. Just…be careful and keep Al safe."

Ed smirked in victory. "Yes sir! I'll retrieve my brother and get him back to headquarters without a scratch, I promise."

The Elric turned to leave Roy's office, but paused at the door and said, "Thanks, Roy," before he left.

Roy stared after the younger alchemist after he left. _'Did he just address me by my first name!'

* * *

_

Ed left Roy's office feeling extremely smug. He had finally outsmarted Mustang in getting what he wanted. Seeing the total surprise in Roy's eyes was worth suppressing his pride and temper.

Then again, Ed knew Roy deserved the 'thank you,' no matter how bastardly Ed's superior acted. Without Roy's help, Ed knew he would most likely be sitting in the bottom of some military prison facility, and Al would be a dissembled suit of armor in some laboratory. The former Colonel, now General, used the military intelligence system to look for leads concerning the Philosopher's Stone purely for Ed and Al's personal goose-chase.

Ed looked up to see Aria leaning against the wall casually, as if the heat didn't affect her in the least.

"Aria, why are you here?" Ed questioned, still unsure of how Aria knew where he was.

"I'm going with you to Xing – to help you along. I don't think you'll object, right?" Ed shook his head, wondering what Aria's motives were. He never knew exactly how her reasoning went, but, then again, Aria had the wisdom of a millennium stored in her head. Ed, though a genius, couldn't compete with that.

"Uh, sure, I won't object. But, how did you know…?" Aria merely smiled smugly and replied, "I shall tell you in due time."

"Alright, so, when do we leave?"

"Now."

"WHAT! But we don't know anything about the situation, and –"

"I have already collected all the information headquarters has, and it's not very much. Most Amestrians can't speak a word of Xing, nor can they understand Xing customs."

Ed nodded before he realized a very serious loophole. "Wait, Aria, we can't speak Xing or understand Xing customs either! I mean, I can recite all of Xing's past century of history from a book I read, but it's not like we can talk fluently or even use those weird 'chopstick' things to eat."

Aria looked slightly skeptical. "You mean that _you_ can't. I spent the last 500 years of my extended life here, so it's natural that I know most of the world better than you do. However, you worry needlessly. I can teach you all of the Xing language and customs on the way there."

"Um, Aria, I might be called a genius, but you need to give me at least a month before I can master a language fluently! The trip's only going to take three hours, max! I can't learn it that fast!" Again, Aria shot Ed a skeptical look.

"Very well, let me rephrase my previous words. I can _give_ you knowledge of all the Xing language and customs on the way there, via highly advanced alchemy procedures. It consists of replacing certain memories with new ones."

"…Could you explain…?"

"I'll tell you in due time."

"That's starting to get annoying."

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to bear with it, unless you don't want to get to Alphonse and that girl mechanic of yours?"

"Her name is WINRY!"

"I know, you told me."

"ARGH! I meant…never mind."

"I'm afraid, though capable, I can't read your mind, and so, if you have a request, you must kindly put it into words."

"Just…drop it, okay?"

Aria blinked. "I'm sorry, did it offend you?" Ed stopped dead in his tracks. Aria, for once, had no idea what Ed was thinking, but Ed cleared it up with his answer.

"No, you didn't. It's just that…I felt like I wanted to argue with Winry all of a sudden, so I tried arguing with you. Only problem is, you don't lose your head and start screaming…no, wait, forget I said that. Ugh, I'm even confusing myself. Why the heck would I want that machine geek to scream at me…?" Ed started walking again, too deep in his monologue to notice anything except where he was going.

Aria made mental note of this, smiled briefly, and then followed after the short-tempered Fullmetal Alchemist to the train station.

* * *

"Alright, Edward, I'm going to give you knowledge of Xing right now. But, before I do anything, I want to warn you that you won't be able to remember any Amestrian customs or language while you know Xing." 

Ed was still deep in his book, not really paying attention when he subconsciously nodded. Three seconds later, it registered in his brain.

"WHAT!" Aria winced, feeling her ears pop from the sonic outburst. She held up a hand, motioning for Ed to hold his questions until after she was done explaining.

"I am going to take all your knowledge of Amestris and exchange it for knowledge about Xing. You are an alchemist, so you should understand the concept of Equivalent Exchange very well. Don't worry; your memories will be completely unaffected, except for the fact that you won't be able to remember any names in Amestrian. Rather, every thing will be automatically translated to Xing. This is a temporary state – just bear with it until we are finished with gathering information and infiltration."

"Wait, don't we already have all the information we need?" Ed questioned, eyeing the stack of papers Aria brought along in a manila folder.

Aria tossed Ed the package and commented. "Take a look for yourself and decide whether the information is useful or not."

Ed pulled out the papers and scanned through the pages. "Figures. The only information they can give us is a map, the government here, and a list of the citizens. Nothing we can't get on our own." Ed smirked as he felt his brain snap into State Alchemist mode. Being a genius often made your job a lot easier. "Let me guess. Since almost no one in the military actually speaks the language of Xing, a remote country that we rarely deal with, the military can only get information the Xing government translates and sends to them. However, based on the information they gave, isn't strange that there isn't a single report pertaining to the terrorist and rebellion groups? If you think about it, that means the government supports the groups. The only reason for doing that is if the government of Xing wants to attack Amestris, but can't because it doesn't have enough military power. So, it resorts to a guerilla-like tactic to wear down our resources and troops under the facade of rebellion groups. However, since the Amestris officials can't prove there's a link, we can't wage war with Xing or send troops onto Xing soil."

Aria nodded. "Your reasoning is right on target, but, do you remember our mission? What do you think of that?"

Ed's eyes narrowed. "That changes everything. If the rebellion groups abducted Al and Winry, and Dante is part of the rebellion, then Dante is related to the Xing government. Could it be…she's trying to start another war to create the Philosopher's Stone once more? Just like with Ishbal and Lior…how far is she going to go with this?"

Aria shook her head. "This time, she made a fatal mistake. She left you alive. Our only problem is, Al and Winry don't know that. I'm quite sure Dante has a lot of influence on the Xing government if she leads the rebellion. I fear Dante planned even farther. She must have purposely advised the Xing officials to make no mention of the rebellion in their reports to Amestris, forcing suspicion and military tension between the two countries. Then, she'll use the insurgents to inflict as much damage as she can on Amestris – partially for revenge, partially to eliminate all people who know something about Ishbal and Lior."

Ed caught on. "And it will be blamed on the insurgents, causing an extreme elevation of military tension. However, since almost everyone who knows something is high up in the military, which means Dante will have supposedly killed them, it will merely look like terrorist attacks. Then, I bet Dante will purposely reveal some proof of a connection between the insurgents and the Xing government, causing a full-fledged war between the two nations! After that, she can make Al create a Philosopher's Stone, take it from him, switch bodies, and leave it behind. In the chaos of war, no one will be able to investigate what happened properly, since, supposedly, everyone who knows something is dead. Since Dante will be in Winry's body, the government will pass her off as a victim of war while Al is executed for betrayal! No one would believe what Al's testimony, even if he did tell."

Ed hissed in anger. "Dante, that evil witch!"

Ed slammed his fist in anger against the side of their train compartment. Unfortunately, Ed decided to use his right arm and punched a hole clean through the wall, to the next compartment. A married couple, going to Xing on vacation, cried out in protest before Ed hastily fixed the wall with alchemy.

Aria watched Ed's display of anger before going back to the original subject. "Now then, Edward, I think we should get to work. Before I change your knowledge and memories, I think it would be best to look like residents in Xing Central. Aria clapped her hands together and brushed them lightly over her eyes. When Ed got a clear look at her formerly scarlet eyes again, he found, to his surprise, that they had gone ebony black.

Ed got the point and followed suit. He changed his gold eyes and hair to black, and blinked a few times to ameliorate the stinging sensation in his eyes. By the time his vision cleared, Aria had already changed into common Xing attire. Ed gaped.

"Aria, when did you change!" Aria shot him a skeptical look again.

"I alchemized my clothing. Unfortunately, you won't know what proper Xing clothing for males' looks like until I alter you head. I doubt you'll appreciate me alchemizing your clothing for you."

Ed hastily agreed, not wanting any female, no matter how talented, alchemizing his clothing anytime soon. Aria sighed and motioned for him to stand closer to her. Without warning, Aria clapped her hands and put two fingers against Ed's forehead.

Ed blinked. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, suddenly, Ed felt as if there was a nest of hornets in his head. It wasn't surprising – Aria was using alchemy to forcibly tear out his current knowledge and replace it with foreign knowledge he didn't even understand. Yet.

Ed saw a flash of gold light and tentacles of a foreign, black material pulling at him from all directions. From past experience, Ed guessed he was inside the Gate, catching a glimpse of the Talisman of Knowledge. However, this time, his head didn't feel like it was going to burst because, technically, he wasn't gaining any more information – just exchanging old stuff for new stuff.

After a minute or two, the exchanging of knowledge stopped. Ed relaxed his tensed body and prepared to go back to the real world. Only, he returned to the train compartment for a split second before he felt a huge force throwing him backwards. Something hit his head with a bang, and everything went black.

* * *

"**Ugh…where am I?**" Ed woke up groggily, only to see two black, unblinking eyes staring into his. "**AGH! WHO ARE YOU? Oh, Aria…sorry, I didn't – WHAT THE-! AM I SPEAKING XING?**" Aria leaned away from him and nodded. 

"**Yes, this would happen to be Xing. We'll be arriving at Xing Central in ten minutes, so I suggest you to alchemize your clothes before we get off the train.**"

Ed nodded before the shock hit him. "**Wait, ten minutes! I thought the trip was three hours!**"

"**It was. The whiplash from my alchemy was bad enough to cause a shockwave. That threw you against the compartment door rather hard. You've been unconscious for two hours.**"

Ed gawked. "**What about you? I don't see any injuries on you. How did you do it?**" Aria shook her head. "**That's not important right now, Edward. Anyways, you need to change your clothes.**"

Ed looked down at his red jacket and black vest. "**It looks so weird all of a sudden. I'll never get used to this. The knowledge I have never learned is floating around my head in massive amounts while the knowledge I used to know won't come to mind. This is totally screwed.**"

Ed clapped his hands together and changed his clothing to something more Xing. Somehow, it looked more natural to him. His memories told him it looked totally foreign, but his knowledge told him it was fine. Ed was starting to get a headache.

"We shall be arriving in Xing Central shortly. All passengers please gather your belongings and prepare for arrival. Thank you for riding International Railway Express."

Ed listened to the voice on the speakers speaking in what he thought was Amestrian. "**Hey, Aria, I couldn't understand a word that speaker just said.**"

"**It wasn't anything important, just that we would be arriving soon and should gather our belongings. Since you can speak Xing now, its natural you can't understand Amestrian.**"

Ed nodded before it hit him. "**Hold on, Aria, you can speak Amestrian right now! Why can't I?**"

"**Unlike you, I actually studied Xing the manual way. Five-hundred years is a really long time, so I filled up my free time by learning new things. If you're interested, I am fluent in every single country's major language and most of the local dialects. It comes in handy once in a while.**"

Ed sweat-dropped. He was sitting next to someone who studied history and grammar in their spare time _for fun_. Couldn't she go shopping like a normal teenage girl?

But then again, Aria wasn't a normal teenage girl. She was over a thousand years old and definitely not normal. Ed opened the compartment door, stepping out into the hallway of the train. Aria followed suit. Fortunately, neither of them had brought baggage, knowing it might give them away. Their State Alchemist watches were hidden on them, out of sight.

Xing Central was a busy city, but, other than that, it was nothing like Central in Amestris. Central in Amestris had paved streets, modern houses, and a more civilized atmosphere.

Ed, despite all the knowledge in his head, could only gape in awe as he glanced around, taking in his surroundings. Even at the train station, he could tell they were not in Amestris. Vendors selling all kinds of exotic foods and trinkets prowled back and forth, calling out their wares. The architecture was completely foreign, reminding Ed of a place across the gate called Ancient China. He had read about it in a book in Germany.

Aria pulled Ed out of his trance. "**Edward, snap out of it. We need to find the nearest bar.**" Ed turned around and nodded, knowing how important it was to stay undercover. Yet, he had no idea why Aria wanted to find a bar. "**Um, Aria, we don't have time for drinks right now. Shouldn't we start on gathering information?**"

Aria shot Ed a skeptical glance. Ed was getting a lot of them from her lately. "**Think. If you joined the rebellion and had a day off, where would you go? It's a hot, arid day, you're thirsty, tired, and in need of some dire relaxation.**"

Ed got the point. "**Alright, I get it. Then…**" he pulled out the map from his pocket. "**How about the pub on Dancing Willow Street? It's closest to us.**"

Aria glanced over on the map and nodded her approval. The two set out towards the bar, ready to collect information.

Suddenly, Aria stopped and pulled Ed after her into a deserted alley. Ed stumbled forward clumsily, grabbing a pipe running along the wall to regain his balance. "**Aria, what was that for!**" he hissed, slightly unappreciative of Aria's sudden actions. Aria shot him yet another skeptical glance.

"**Edward, don't tell me you didn't notice. It's something rather obvious and could help information gathering.**" Ed was utterly lost, and his confusion must have showed on his face.

"**Notice what?**"

Aria sweat-dropped. This person was really thick – he actually ignored all of it? "**Have you noticed that you're really popular with the girls here? You didn't notice all the glances and the group of girls tailing you?**"

Ed's face promptly went from normal to ashen to beet red. "**WHAT?**" Aria sighed in disbelief. "**You idiot, get back out on the street and pay attention to the people around you. It's so blatantly obvious that it's almost embarrassing.**"

Indeed, as Ed walked down the street, he noticed for the first time what was going on around him. He noticed the girl that purposely walked _way_ too close to him. Then there were those teenagers outside of the clothes shop. The girls were actually pointing at him and giggling. The guys were shooting him death glares. Ed sulked when he realized that Aria, though she noticed what was happening to him, didn't seem to notice all the guys staring at _her_.

Ed snapped out of his own thoughts when they stopped outside the pub. Ed blinked. What acheap bar – it was completely over decorated and he could smell the smoke from burning opium pouring out of the place. Maybe, before he went in, he should alchemize a bubble of fresh air around his head.

"**Alright, operation 'Collect Information' commence. Let's go in, Aria.**" Ed took a deep breath and pushed on the doors. Aria nodded to and entered after him. Ed moved to the left side of the bar and Aria strode towards the right.

Now was the serious problem. Ed had no idea how to strike up a conversation with these people. He looked around for anyone who might know something useful, but most were either drunks or prostitutes. Then again, drunks and prostitutes seemed to know a lot more out-of-the-way information than normal people did. Ed looked towards Aria for ideas, only to find her giggling girlishly, already surrounded by a group of horny-looking males.  
'_Oh my God, I think I'm going to faint.'_ Ed took a deep breath and chose a random table, collapsing into his seat with a sigh. A waitress in a shockingly skimpy outfit approached and asked to take his order, and Ed, against his screaming instincts, decided to stay in his seat and smile weakly.  
"**Sir, what can I get you?**" The waitress crowed in a low, seductive voice.

Ed winced. "**Just coffee will be fine.**" To his utter horror, the waitress sat down right next to him and leaned onto his shoulder.

"**Now what's a strong, fine man like you doing here, just wanting coffee? You can take a shot or two, can't you, lover-boy?**" Ed fought the desire to scream in disgust, and managed to say, "**Anything will be fine then.**" _'Winry is going to kill me if she hears anything about this.'_ Of course, this thought sent him into depression again – Winry and Al were still captive in enemy territory, and every second he wasted in this fetid pub was another second that they were in danger.

Ed suddenly realized that, if he didn't get to work, Dante might actually have her way. If he let his own instincts get into the way, Ed would never forgive himself. So, as the waitress got up to bring him his order, Ed grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down, much to her surprise.

"**Wait, please don't go.**" Ed tried his best to make a sad, begging expression. "**I'm sorry. My girlfriend just left me and I'm a little depressed right now. Could you…maybe…stay and chat for a while?**" _'For Al, Winry, and everyone else.'_

The waitress who had been throwing herself at him swallowed his story, hook, line, and sinker. She cooed happily and slunk into the seat opposite of him, putting on a sympathetic look and layering even more honey into her sickeningly sweet voice. "**Tell me about it.**"

Ed took a deep breath and mustered his resolve before beginning, making up a story as he went. "**…so, to make a long story short, my girlfriend and I a huge fight over the Amestrian invasions the Xing Rebellion groups were commencing. I supported them, but she was too sympathetic towards Amestris and talked treachery towards Xing. I gave her a choice between Amestris and me, and she left for Amestris.**"

The waitress listened with feigned pity pouring out of her eyes until Ed took a deep breath, signaling that the story was over. Then she commented, "**You don't need a woman like her. If I were she, I would never ditch a wonderful person like you. Move on without that useless whore – you don't need her tying you down!**"

Ed nodded in false realization. "**I guess you're right. I can sell our apartment, or maybe even join the Xing Rebellion now. Yeah, I think I'll do that! Do you know where I can join?**"

The waitress nodded in smug victory. "**See, you don't need someone like her! I can tell you that the Waning Moon Pub is a meeting place for the Xing Rebellion, and that you can join if you go to the Silver Heart antique shop after two in the morning. Don't you think girls like me are much better? I can help you do whatever you like. I fully support the Xing Rebellion, so we share interests. How about we start up?**"

Ed, at this, blanched, but hid it behind a smiling mask. "**I wish I could, but since I'm going to join the Rebellion, I think its best that our relationship waits. But once this whole thing is over, I'll be sure to come back for you. Thanks for everything though.**"

Before the crest-fallen waitress had a chance to say anything Ed got up, slapped a tip on the table, and left the scene, meeting up with Aria at the door. Aria gave him a knowing glance before turning to wave sweetly at the gawking males behind her. Ed rolled his eyes and went outside, not wanting to breathe the rancid odors of the pub any longer than he had to.

* * *

"**So what have you learned?**" Aria asked sharply the moment she was outside the bar, having reverted to her original personality in the blink of an eye. "**I discovered that the Xing Rebellion meets in Central Square at midnight on every day in the second week of this month, that the total number of insurgents number about two-thousand, and that they have a handful of alchemists as well as a wide array of alchemized or stolen weaponry.**" 

Ed grimaced as he recalled what he had to do in order to obtain information. "**I only learned that the Xing Insurgents meet in the Waning Moon pub sporadically, but the most important fact is that we can join if we go to the Silver Heart antique shop after two in the morning. I think our best bet is to wait until tonight and join as soon as possible, and gather more information amongst the enemy.**"

Aria agreed, and so they set out to find lodgings for the night. In the end, they chose a small motel with a thick, musty carpet and poor lighting. Aria merely sat on her mat, which was supposed to serve as a bed, alchemized a light from the mirror, a coat hanger, and the candle, and began reading her book on advanced swordsmanship. Ed stretched out on his mat, determined to catch a bit of sleep before he started onto his mission.

After all, there was a long way to go before he could find Al and Winry, much less save three worlds.

* * *

A/N: 

WAAAAAAH! I'm sorry for not updating for…uh…four months, but there were reasons!

For example, I transferred schools, we moved, I had school entrance exams, monthly tests, and midterms, I started going to Chemistry Club and SAT preparation class, causing me not to get home until seven at night…and a lot of other stuff.

So, honestly…I, uh, kinda forgot to update, and the review alerts were sorted as spam, so I didn't check!

Well, sorry about that.

ANYWAYS, about the next chapter!

For those of you that have been bored, I'm long-winded – deal with it, people – so the next chapter will probably be pretty long too…might take a while to come out, seeing that I'm rabidly studying for my second monthly examinations right now…;;

However, there will be more action, and let's just hope for some more EdxWinry goodness, ne? (key word: hope - my ridiculous writing skills and nonexistent planning skills might get into the way...> )


	8. Transcendence

Disclaimer: Santa wasn't generous this year either...so I don't own FMA. I don't own any of the stolen ideas from BLEACH either. TT

_Karia: Now showing in theatres: "Chapter Eight"_

_Al: Um, this isn't a theatre, it's a website._

_Karia: Where is your imagination? It's called 'pretend'!_

_Al: But there's a sign at the top of the page that says AARRGGH, I give up. TV and the Internet have completely slaughtered imagination. Let's just roll the film – Chapter 8, and ACTION!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 8: Transcendence

Ed was usually a heavy sleeper, but this time, his anxiety kept him from getting a wink of sleep. Aria was completely silent, but she was the type of person who always slept with one eye open and a dagger beneath her pillow, so Ed doubted she was sleeping either. For the most part, his eyes were riveted on the moldy grandfather clock propped in the corner, silently counting each passing second until the proper hour. It was odd that his heart could pound so rapidly when minutes seemed to crawl by with agonizingly slow deliberateness.

At 1:29 A.M., Ed was practically counting each second and willing the clock to tick faster. Ten…

Nine…

Eight...

Seven…

Six…

Five…

Four…

Three…

Two…

One…

…ZERO

With the energy of his long pent-up anticipation, Ed leapt to his feet and shoved his sleeping mat to a side. Aria slipped out of her sheets and stood up in one fluid motion. Pulling open the sliding door, Ed felt a gust of brisk, chilling night air sweep into the room, blowing out the feeble candle flame and sending the room into a pit of darkness.

Ed stepped out of the room and looked up, whispering a silent prayer to gods he did not believe in.

_Wait for me, Winry. Al.

* * *

_

"He's not coming." Al heard a cruel, calculating voice coo from a corner. "You should just accept that he's dead." He clenched his jaw at this statement, but said nothing. The chains that bound his wrists to the walls were irritating him again.

Across from him, someone sat in a simple wooden chair, just out of reach – Dante. It seemed like the woman just wouldn't leave the Elric brothers alone until she, or they, were dead.

"Ni-san WILL come." Al's voice still carried that stubborn belief in his brother. He would know if Ni-san died – Al would feel the connection they had as brothers disappear. That intuition between them could span the distance of two separate worlds, so Al was sure Ed was alive. He could still sense Ed's presence somewhere in his mind, so Al was sure his brother would come.

"Believe anything you want, Alphonse, but hope can only breed deeper despair." Dante smiled, showing many ghostly white teeth. "I don't mind – it's amusing to see you struggle."

However, though Al knew he had to appear defiant, he was beginning to wonder whether Ed was alive. Considering the number of near-death experiences they had gone through, Al could not deny that being a State Alchemist was a very hazardous occupation. Plus, what would Dante gain by lying to him?

Dante smiled to herself. Though little Alphonse seemed to be putting up a brave front, she could see the growing doubt in his eyes. She could probably break him in another two weeks, which should be quite a while before Edward ever discovered where she was and what she was doing. Genius he may be, but the information he lacked put her safely out of the reaches of his speculation…

Or so she thought.

* * *

The antique shop owner heard the soft tinkling of the door chimes and knew that more recruits had come. There were at least two every night now, but most were only shallow idiots that showed no dedication to their noble cause. However, a few showed real promise and a handful could be classified as valuable assets.

The two strangers who entered his shop tonight were definitely not simple fools, but the feeling they gave him wasn't a passion for the noble causes. It was more of a cold, calculating demeanor determined by the motive and professional advantages only. Then again, the insurgents needed more people who could think on an intelligent level, other than the good Lady Dante.

"**Excuse me, is this where we can apply for admission for the Rebellion? My – brother and I were looking for a place to join.**" The antique shop owner lifted an eyebrow. It wasn't often that a young female offered to join. Her 'brother' was more of the type, with determination radiating from his eyes.

"**Yes. Please, follow me.**"

Ed and Aria followed the old man behind the counter, into the storeroom at the back of the dingy shop. Aria noted various items with a veiled interest, but Ed's attention was mostly focused on the strange alchemy circles doodled haphazardly on the walls. They seem to consist largely of Xing symbols and complex representations of Xing's mythical creatures. The shop owner reached a remote corner of the warehouse and stopped.

With a strained grunt, the antique shop vendor heaved a box of dusty trinkets away from the corner. Beneath it was a well-hidden trap door. The old man yanked it open in a shower of dirt and dust, showing a yawning, black hole beneath it. Ed's mind immediately began calculating the rough depth of the tunnel and the possible sizes of an underground lair as the vendor motioned for them to go down.

The old man went down first and was immediately swallowed up by the darkness in the tunnel. Ed guessed that there was a ladder and slid in after him, only to find that the tunnel was a smooth slide all the way down. He yelped in shock, but found himself standing at the bottom of the slide in the blink of an eye. Aria followed him with a bit more grace.

They were in a dimly lit chamber that was roughly three meters high and eight meters in diameter. The vendor was wearing a solemn expression and had walked over to the far side of the cavern. To his horror, Ed realized that he was standing in the middle of an enormous alchemy array, except for the fact that it was drawn so exotically that he couldn't identify what its purpose was. A sharp intake of breath behind him showed that Aria had realized their plight as well.

The old man activated the array and a flash of a strange, purple light Ed had never seen before in alchemy filled the cavern. Ed felt a burning sensation crawl up his legs, but suddenly stopped as if another force had pushed it downwards. His mind was racing. The strange circle was definitely not an alchemy circle, and the light emitted was nothing like the blue light of transmutation. Also, the old man had done nothing to change the matter in the cavern, nor did the 'transmutation circle' follow the basic principles of alchemy.

Ed concluded that, whatever the antique shop owner had done, it was either a hoax or not alchemy. Considering that it would be rather pointless to trick them at the moment, Ed could only assume that the process carried some form of non-alchemical purpose. Could it be – sorcery?

When he was very little, Ed remembered coming across various books in his father's library containing brief excerpts about sorcery. Ed had considered them as complete rubbish before, but now he found that they made some form of remote sense. They said something along the lines of coming from another world and free from the laws of equivalent trade, but if what Aria had told him was true, then the books were mistaken. The burning sensation, if not from an exothermic reaction in alchemy, could have been a 'scrutinizing' enchantment from basic sorcery.

Aria took a deep breath. Though her powers were greatly reduced in this world, she could still manage basic sorcery, though not near as well as she could in her original world. It was fortunate that she realized the scrutinizing spell before the antique dealer could discern their false intentions. With a quick counter spell, Aria had dispelled the enchantment and substituted false information in its place.

The antique dealer seemed satisfied and explained his actions as 'double-checking their loyalty'. He gave no further explanation, but Ed guessed that Aria must have interfered with the scrutinizing charm. The vendor led them out of a side entrance in the cavern and down a corridor that resembled a mining shaft. The air grew noticeably musty and stale, but Ed guessed it was due to slight depletion of oxygen and the decomposition of a couple unstable isotopes of nitrogen. Of course, the burning torch did little to ameliorate the foul air, but light was necessary to navigating the dark tunnels.

They reached a small wooden door crammed clumsily between the walls of the tunnel, and the antique shopkeeper opened it with a rough shove. Immediately, Ed found himself standing in front of a group of three-hundred or more people, all sitting at long, rectangular tables and chatting about various topics. The shopkeeper smiled warmly and said a few words of welcome and briefly summarized the Rebellion's goal and current projects before clapping them both on the back and returning to his post. Ed and Aria mingled into the crowd and feigned passion about the noble cause.

"**Edward, we will not be able to find Alphonse or Winry if we mingle with these people. To find them, I fear that we need to associate with the higher authorities.**" Aria whispered to Ed once they were out of earshot of the nearest group. Ed agreed.

"**But how are we supposed to climb ranks right now? We just got here, and it would make us appear power-hungry if we started anything right now.**"

Aria grimaced. "**Then we will simply have to create ourselves an opportunity. Edward, be on your guard.**" She surreptitiously clapped her hands together before touching to fingers to the floor without being seen. Immediately, a huge stalagmite hanging from the ceiling broke off with a terrifying crack. Ed's jaw dropped in shock and he reacted with instinct.

Immediately after he clapped his hands together, a mass of blue sparks leapt from his palms to the falling hunk of solid stone, wrapping around it and shattering it into a shower of thin dust. The dust may have ruined any meals people were eating, but it injured no one. Immediately, someone in a uniform rushed towards Ed, who was at the center of the commotion, and demanded to know what had just happened. Ed explained the 'accident' and his use of alchemy to shatter the stone, changing the officer's indignant attitude to awe immediately.

"**So young, and already a master at alchemy…you are gifted, boy. Come with me – we can put you to better use than just giving you a weapon.**"

"**May I take my sister along?**" Ed motioned at Aria, receiving a hesitant nod from the officer. Both left their seats (and their ruined meal) to follow the officer out of the huge cavern and into a downward spiraling hallway. Ed shuddered unnoticeable. After his previous adventures, he was rather paranoid about descending below ground, especially not down dark and gloomy tunnels without knowing what lay ahead.

However, even with the dim, shifting light of the primitive torches fastened to the sides of the tunnel, Ed noticed long, scraping marks along the sides. At the entrance, there had been none, but suddenly, they had all appeared along the walls. Ed wondered for a moment before realizing that the scrape marks were most likely shovel imprints, meaning that everything beyond this tunnel was artificial. Ed inwardly grinned. In every organization he knew, only the brass could have nice facilities – or at least nicer than their underlings.

They arrived at set of ingeniously crafted and intricately carved doors that, apparently, could only be opened from the inside. The officer rapped the door smartly with the fancy, iron knocker, announcing in a loud, booming voice, "**Sir, new recruits are here to see you! They're alchemists!**"

From inside, a hoarse, gruff voice grunted in response, apparently acknowledging their presence, and the heavy stone doors slid open with a mighty boom. Inside, Ed could faintly make out a heavily embroidered rug, a rather overstuffed armchair, a hearty fireplace, and a grouchy looking geezer dressed in about seven layers worth of coats. Ed nodded his head respectfully, inwardly guessing that the old grandpa was probably some higher-ranking officer capable of promoting (or demoting) others.

"**I ask for Alchemists and you bring me two children? What can they do, turn water into ice?**" The man asked grouchily, apparently expecting something more than the two 'children' he was confronted with. Apparently, he had no idea that both were State Alchemists and one of them was around ten times older than he was.

"**We can manage quite a bit more than that, thank you very much.**" Ed's eye twitched in annoyance at being called a 'child', probably a residual sentiment from the days of his shortness. The officer who had led them there looked scandalized that someone could talk to a higher authority with such a lack of reverence, and Aria secretly pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. The old man raised his eyebrows to dangerous heights and ventured, "**Why don't we test your skills then? If they pass, I will give you some kind of important post. If not, expect to be cleaning the halls with a mop for a long time.**"

"**It's a deal. What do you want us to do?**" Aria answered before Ed could open his mouth, and the officer that led them here was looking from person to person in bewilderment. The geezer smirked and challenged, "**Transmute the walls around you into metal.**" It was supposedly a very advanced process, considering that stone and wood had almost nothing in common.

Ed was a split second away from merely clapping his hands together when he remembered that he was currently in disguise. Instead, he pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket and started scribbling a simple array onto the walls. Ed thought for a moment. The walls were apparently made of limestone, which meant there were probably water and an excess of carbon nearby. In addition, considering the fact that they shouldn't be too far underground and that iron was probably the most common metal in the earth's crust, it would probably be a better choice to make the walls into an alloy of iron and carbon, even if they didn't mix well. Ed made a few adjustments to the array, moving the limestone away from the walls and using alchemy to heat and mix the surrounding carbon and iron. Within a few minutes, the surface of the wall had changed into a smooth sheet of metal.

The officer gaped in shock while the old geezer blinked in surprise a few times, stroking his beard and nodding in apparent contemplation. Ed waited for a moment with bated breath before the old man stopped nodding and said, "**Y-You pass. For the girl, uh, I want her to change the metal into wood.**" Changing metal to wood was technically impossible, considering that wood was a very complex, organic compound. It seemed like Xing was rather sexist against females. Then again, Ed knew that it should be possible to perform the task if there were any plant seeds nearby, like using alchemy to stimulate and accelerate plant growth.

Aria shrugged and traced a strange symbol onto the wall, unlike anything Ed had ever seen before. She placed to fingers against it and intoned strange words in a language Ed could barely understand. Something along the lines of, "Circle of Creation, I call upon thee. From Earth, do I draw upon Metal, and From Metal do I draw Water. From water, Circle, I summon forth Wood.'

Technically, this would make no sense, but Ed had learned the language when studying a set of books explaining ancient sorcery. Ed's eyes widened. Aria could use sorcery in this world because it was adjacent to her original one!

There was a flash of white light and, when it had faded, the wall of metal had been replaced with something that was unmistakably wood. Ed smirked – he had to ask Aria to teach him how to do that – and admired the stunned expressions on the Xing insurgents. The old geezer again blinked in surprise before nodding and stuttering, "**Y…You also pass.**"

And then, his next statement almost made Ed blow his cover and whoop for joy.

"**Alright then…one of you two can look after the prisons? That's always a post in need of applicants. The other…well…can help Madame Dante herself with her needs.**"

Even if Ed was an atheist by nature, he couldn't help but inwardly thank whatever God or higher deity might exist.

* * *

In half an hour, a bundle of keys was jingling from Ed's hands and he was making his way down the hall. Every time he passed an opening though, Ed slapped on an expression of formality, just to simplify matters if anyone should bump into him. As he descended into the dungeons, Ed was keenly aware of the unpleasant increase in humidity and the sudden drop in temperature. In other words, the dungeons were a cold, damp, paradise for uncontrolled growth of mold and gloom.

The dank atmosphere brought Aria's words back to mind. She had given him a cryptic warning before they went of to perform their respective duties.

**_"Be careful, Edward. The next time you see the gate, something will be taken away from you. You may regret it dearly. It will make you and the ones close to you suffer. "_**

Ed gritted his teeth – if Winry or Al had suffered in anyway, he would make whomever did it to them pay tenfold. However, rescuing them in the first place was his highest priority, and Ed couldn't help but notice his heart pounding in his ears when he final reached the thick, oaken door leading to the prison cells. Ed picked out the right key and squinted through the extremely poor light to find the keyhole. He inserted the key and turned it, receiving a satisfying click and a wave of relief.

Then he gasped. In the farthest cell down the hallway, he could make out his brother's limp form, chained to the wall and shivering with cold. However, the moment Al heard the door open; he raised his head and glared fiercely at whomever it was approaching him.

"**Hey, Al, it's me!**" Ed whispered through the bars, barely able to see anything but his brother's bare outline and Al's bright eyes.

"What do you want this time? I'm not going to help you!" Al's harsh tone shocked Ed at first, but then he realized that Al couldn't possibly recognize him in the darkness.

"**It's me, Ed!**" Ed prompted, but then realized with a jolt – they didn't speak the same language anymore. Al knew that his brother couldn't speak Xing, so when Ed babbled a phrase in Xing, Al immediately assumed it was something unpleasant. Then again, Ed didn't speak or understand Amestrian anymore, so it was technically impossible to communicate.

"I can't understand you, so it won't do you any good." Ed had no idea what his brother had said, so he merely resorted to the simplest form of communication he knew. Ed dashed all the way out to the hallway, grabbed the nearest torch, and dashed back; clapping his hands together and alchemizing his hair and eye color back to normal.

This action earned a shout of, "Brother!" from Al, which Ed still couldn't understand. Ed tried using sign language that he had learned on Earth to talk to Al, but to no avail. Ed racked his mind – what had Aria done to make him speak Xing?

Then it hit him – Equivalent Exchange. Ed's mind raced as he mentally calculated the formulas and precautions of messing with mental knowledge, forming complicated theories and corollaries on the spot. He went as far as pulling out a pocket book and doing some calculations on it, much to Al's amusement, before figuring out what he was supposed to do. The information given to him by the Talisman last time he crossed the Gate was priceless, and Ed was _fairly_ sure it would work.

Ed motioned for Al to step back against the wall, having learned his lesson with the backlash during this specific transmutation on the train to Xing Central. He clapped his hands together, gave Al a forced smirk, took a deep breath, and pressed two fingers to his forehead. Then, to his horror, he heard the echo of Aria's warning in his head before the transmutation started.

The next thing he knew, Ed was standing in from of a very familiar set of Gates again. The long, black tentacles reached out from the Gate and drew him inwards inexorably, and Ed saw the blinding glow of the Talisman of Knowledge again. He braced himself for the exchange of knowledge when, to his surprise, did not happen.

Ed was assaulted by a torrent of information again. Tons of knowledge concerning language, customs, history, and sciences were crammed into his head at an alarming rate, causing Ed to groan in anguish. He didn't scream in pain anymore – grown men do NOT scream – but the feeling wasn't as painful as when he and Al failed to transmute their mother.

Then everything dissolved into a whirl of darkness and Ed found himself sweating and panting on the ground of the dungeons. Al was by his side, helping him sit up. Ed blinked a few times to clear his vision and shook his head vigorously to straighten his thoughts, bringing a hand up to his throbbing forehead in the process.

"I am NOT going to try that ever again." Ed groaned, standing up with Al's help. Al blinked and said, "Brother, you're speaking Amestrian again now."

Ed blinked his eyes in realization. "I am?...Hey, I am speaking Amestrian again! But then, why can I still speak Xing?" Ed looked at Al questioningly, and then finally got a good look at his brother. Al's wrists were ridiculously bruised and his clothing was torn. Mud and filth covered him from head to toe, and Al looked pale and rather underfed. Ed's eyes narrowed in fury towards whoever was responsible for Al's injuries, but, before he could voice his thoughts, a familiar voice rang out behind him.

"Edward Elric, you actually came." Ed whirled around, desperately seeking the source of the voice. Gold met sapphire as Ed locked gazes with her, but Ed stumbled backwards a step when he saw the coldness and anger in her eyes.

* * *

Winry was standing at the doorway, holding a simple, Xing-styled sword in her hand. She, unlike Al, was in perfect health and dressed very elaborately in a traditional Xing gown.

"Winry, what the hell!" Ed was bewildered by how Winry of all people was acting towards him. "Is something wrong?" Winry merely drew the sword, hiding her eyes behind her bangs. Ed watched, confused, until he found the blade pressed against his neck. His eyes widened.

"Win…ry?" Ed was bewildered until he saw Dante appear behind her, smiling cruelly. Al gasped sharply and moved forward, as if to intervene, but Dante merely smiled and muttered something under breath. Ed, however, barely heard Al's yelp of surprise when Al found the chains around his arms suddenly immobilizing him completely, and his voice was muted.

Ed's mind was in a very serious mental traffic jam, genius or not. Winry was holding a blade to his neck and tears were rolling down her face. Ed was completely shocked, but managed to choke out softly, "Winry…what in the world…?"

Her eyes hardened, and Winry was completely unaware of Dante and Al. Her eyes were very cold and she answered.

"Edward Elric…don't play dumb with me. I know what you're doing and who you really are."

Ed was lost, but found his voice faltering. He opened his mouth to talk, but found a lump in his throat preventing him from doing so. Winry's eyes narrowed and she explained.

"Someone was planning to destroy Amestris and Xing together by summoning something with Alchemy. The same person was messing with forbidden taboo and trying to resurrect the dead and travel between worlds, forming huge conspiracies and causing large numbers of deaths.

"That person also used many people to gain what he wanted, throwing them away when they were of no more use and he no longer needed his cover, and the people he used never even suspected that they were being used. Mrs. Izumi, Grandma Pinako, the government, the military…we were all used."

"And then, Dante figured out his plan and tried to stop him. He silenced her and eliminated the brass in the military to prevent the knowledge from leaking out. Then, he erased the memories of his own brother and escaped to another world. The identity of that cursed man…

"…IS YOU, EDWARD ELRIC." Winry's voice had started soft and elevated to an almost-shout. Ed was stunned by the ridiculous accusations pouring from Winry's mouth. He opened his mouth to protest when Winry cut him off again.

"That's not the only thing I know. You burned our house down that night, to get rid of Grandma Pinako and me, and to pursue that Shadowen girl. I would have died in that fire…but Dante and her patrol got me out of there. Grandma Pinako and Den are probably gone now…BECAUSE OF YOU!" At this, Winry raised her blade and slashed down. Ed jolted out of his shock and dodged, just in time.

"WINRY, GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Ed dodged her clumsy attacks and tried to talk sense into her. "WHY WOULD I DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! THINK ABOUT IT!"

Winry shook her head, and Ed saw the tears that were flung from her eyes. "I WON'T LISTEN! YOU'LL JUST TRICK US ALL OVER AGAIN!" She raised the sword, as if to strike, then brought it down, quivering.

"I…I don't know what to do anymore…Ed…" Her eyes silently pleaded him, showing him the sadness, confusion, anger, and tears pooling in them. He felt his own chest clench, but the reprieve was over.

Winry screamed in frustration and thrust the sword at him, attacking him despite her tears. Ed focused on dodging until he caught sight of Dante smiling a cruel, twisted smile at their fight. Ed's eyes sparked with fury.

"Dante…THIS IS ALL PART OF YOUR PLAN, ISN'T IT!" In that brief moment of diverted attention, Winry brought her sword down on Ed. Ed noticed it too late to dodge, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Ed ducked to the right, stopping the blade from cleaving his head in two, but not far enough to dodge it completely. The blade bit deeply into his left shoulder, causing him to wince in pain and Winry to freeze in shock. Ed's right arm moved in autopilot and punched Winry in the chest, hard enough to knock her out.

Ed's eyes widened in horror as he saw Winry fall, and he moved to catch her when she did. Winry landed heavily in his arms, expression peaceful now in her unconsciousness. Ed's eyes were gentle as he brushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped away the angry tears. He pulled the weapon from her grasp and threw it to a side, lowering Winry gently onto the floor. Winry's hands were bleeding from grasping the hilt far too tightly in her frustration.

Then he stood up slowly and turned to face Dante, who was still smirking cruelly. Al, because he couldn't speak or move to help his brother, could only watch silently as Ed struggled to get through the situation. But Al caught sight of his brother's eyes and felt a wave of terror wash through him. He had never…ever…seen Ed with that kind of expression in his eyes.

"Dante…I don't know what you told her. All I know is that…over five years ago, I promised myself that I would prevent anyone from making her cry or bleed…and punish the ones that did. I'LL KILL YOU."

Dante's smile did not waver. "Ah, Elric, such strong, harsh words for such a young mouth. I thought you'd enjoy seeing your dear girlfriend again."

Ed answered by transmuting his automail into a blade with a very well practiced motion. Dante's smile did not waver, but she pulled a gun from her pocket.

"Very well. I'll be honest and tell you that my intention was to let you suffer a bit before finishing what I started." Dante locked the gun, pointed it at Ed. Ed saw her motion, and made as if to leap out of the way before Dante's sick smile stretched wider.

"Are you sure you want to dodge? Because if you do, she's going to die." Ed realized, to his horror, that Winry was laying unconscious right behind him.

Dante smiled evilly, and fired.

* * *

A/N:

KYAAAA! Another chapter is finally finished, and OHOHOHOHO, didn't I stop it at the perfect place?

I know, I know…it took me forever to update AGAIN but LIFE KEEPS GETTING IN THE WAY! Plus, this chapter was difficult to write…and IT STILL TURNED OUT HORRIBLE WAAAAAAAAH!

Oh, for those of you who've read the Bleach Manga past chapter 140, you might recognize the scene I stole out of there. You know, the totally angst-sy HitsuHina scene when they fight each other? OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHHITSUHINA 4EVER! Of course, it's not exactly the same, for plot purposes.

Oh, and one more thing: REVIEW…REVIEW!


	9. Goodbye Amestris

Disclaimer: Insert witty remark pertaining to me not owning FMA here

_Karia: And now, the much anticipated…drum roll…Chapter Nine! Come one and come all! Tickets cost a review each!_

_Dante: My, what do we have here?_

_Karia: GAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE! Aren't you supposed to be somewhere in Xing?_

_Dante: And aren't you supposed to be writing the story already?_

_Karia: You're right!_

**Fullmetal Alchemist: Hagane no Renkenjutsushi**

Chapter 9: Goodbye, Amestris

_Dante smiled evilly and fired._

"_No,_" Ed found himself swearing under breath, and, through instinct, leapt into the path of fire before his brain had ample time to weigh all of the consequences of such an act. The only thing that ran through his mind was '_protect Winry_', and he shut his eyes tightly and waited for contact.

It never came. When Ed reopened his eyes, he found himself staring into blackness. _Am I dead?_ His eyes refocused and Ed realized that it was definitely Aria's cloak. _No, I'm not dead._ Then his thoughts were interrupted by Aria's voice, which was colder and seemingly more urgent than ever.

* * *

"Take the girl and your brother. Get out of here. **Now**." She ordered, not even bothering to turn around and look at him. Her view was completely focused on Dante, who was standing in front of her with a smoking gun. Aria, in turn, was grasping a badly bleeding arm with a bullet lodged straight through the bone. Ancient teacher and ancient student were apparently having a staring contest, one with a smirk and one with a grimace. 

Aria dug the bullet out of her arm with her fingers and dropped it to the ground, and the sound of the bullet striking against the cold stone floor resounded throughout the dungeon.

"Dante…you've misused the knowledge I gave you…I'll be taking it back now."

While Aria stalled Dante, Ed jolted out of his mental shock and cleared the thoughts of confusion and shock from his mind. Then he followed Aria's sensible advice.

Ed picked Winry up from the floor behind him and carried her over his shoulder while running over to Al. Carefully balancing the unconscious girl slung over his back; Ed clapped his hands and freed Al from the chains, but couldn't figure out what was blocking Al's vocal cords – other than sorcery. Unfortunately, Ed couldn't perform sorcery yet, so he shook his head apologetically when Al motioned towards his throat.

Then everything else was a blur of climbing dark stairs and avoiding guards. Ed ignored the blood seeping unstoppably from his shoulder and struggled to carry Winry and support Al at the same time. Ed shook his head furiously; trying to clear his fogging thoughts and get them safely out. He felt nauseous, weak, and extremely sick for some unknown reason. The loss of blood was making him light-headed, but Ed gritted his teeth and ploughed onwards.

They had encountered three groups of guards so far, and managed to avoid two. However, the third party was lying completely decimated and mostly unconscious in the corridor behind them, thanks largely to Ed and Al's alchemy. Ed had trusted his instincts and chose corridors other than the one he had come from, knowing that they would only lead back to the officers' chambers and the mess hall. The decreasing amount of moss and lichen on the walls, the significantly lower humidity, and the warmer temperature were good signs that they were getting closer to the exit.

Ed had started carrying Winry bridal style again, due to his extremely sore shoulders. He turned a corner with Al following closely behind him and found the exit…

Only, a line of insurgents, all pointing loaded rifles straight at them, blocked it.

* * *

Dante smiled cruelly. "Your little friends won't get away, Sensei." 

Aria's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"

"Well, it wouldn't really make a difference to someone who's about to die, but I'll be generous and explain – there are guards posted at every last entrance," Dante smiled, "and if I remember correctly, Edward was wounded slightly when Ms. Winry attacked him."

Aria's eyes glinted dangerously. "You poisoned the blade."

Dante laughed with a nasty glee, signaling her answer. "Edward should be feeling the effects of it now. Oh, it is a pity you will not be able to see it – severe sickness and dizziness, internal heart rupture, and no known antidote. Of course, you let me poison you as well and see for yourself first hand, if you really want to know."

"You do not understand what you are interfering with, Dante. I believe I told you that alchemists should never tamper with concepts they have not mastered. Those that play with fire are burned."

Dante nonchalantly cocked her gun again, and pointed it at Aria's head. "Oh, I understand what I'm dealing with – more than you ever will. The Talisman is an interesting item, is it not? The final barrier between life and death? Well, then I'll be sending you through it."

Aria's eyes flickered oddly, and her voice lost its calm edge. "Foolish student, do you honestly understand that? Hohenheim didn't even understand, and he had far more talent than any normal person."

"Well, from what I know, he's dead and I'm alive. Dearest teacher, I knew from the start what I wanted; you were the fool for teaching me exactly what I needed to know."

"…You're right, I was foolish, and I made grave mistakes. But I believe Edward has said this before – we alchemists must correct our mistakes."

"You won't have a chance to."

Dante fired, and then activated an alchemy array on the side of her gun. Both the bullet and the gun shone with the blue light of transmutation. The bullet dissipated into fine dust, but the dust merely rearranged itself into an alchemy array.

Aria's eyes widened slightly, and she immediately leapt aside, dodging the projectile and clapping her hands together at the same time.

Immediately, a spike of earth sprang up directly beneath Dante, but Dante smiled and did nothing. The spear of rock merely shattered against her feet.

"Aria-sensei, these petty tricks will do nothing to me. You see…my original body rotted a long time ago." Dante lifted the hem of her long dress, showing a length of metal. "I am…completely automail – and essentially immortal. You can not win."

"…"

Dante lifted the gun and fired successively three times, each bullet alchemizing into a transmutation circle.

"What's wrong, sensei? Not going to dodge?"

Aria raised a hand, and the projectiles stopped dead in midair before falling to the ground. "I don't have time to play with you. Your mistakes will correct themselves. I have more important things to do."

Aria disappeared in a flash of violet light. Dante cursed.

"She ran…That complicates matters a lot."

* * *

"BROTHER!" Al shouted over the noise of roaring machine guns. "WHAT'S WRONG?" 

Ed put a hand over him mouth to stifle the coughing, and when he drew it away, there was blood staining his white gloves. He felt extremely sick, barely able to move…something was seriously wrong with him.

"Al, don't move." Ed clapped his hands together, and another boulder hurtled towards the line of guards, scattering them like nine pins. However, the reprieve lasted for only a moment, before the insurgents regrouped and started firing again. The wall of earth Ed raised would only hold for so long.

Winry was currently sitting in his lap, waking up to the sound of firing guns. Ed winced – this was not good, not good at all. But, if he could, he needed to explain and comfort her as well as he could.

"Winry…" Ed stroked her cheek gently. "I don't know what Dante told you, but it's not true. I…I'd rather die than hurt you."

The pounding of ammunition against the wall of earth he alchemized attracted his attention again. Ed grimaced from the pain that was now seeping into every corner of his body. Something was seriously wrong with him, but he couldn't figure out what…until, suddenly, his vision blurred and the ground slanted crazily underneath him.

Al saw Ed fall, and was at his side in the blink of an eye. "Brother! What's wrong!"

Ed forced himself to sit up, his head throbbing excruciatingly and his vision quickly fading to black. "No…idea, I –" He was interrupted by a mouthful of blood, which he coughed up. Ed brought his gloved hand to cover his mouth, drawing it away to find it dyed a brilliant crimson.

Blood. His blood. Then everything clicked – Ed realized, with a horrible dropping in his stomach. He was dying…dying from poison.

But at that exact moment, the wall of earth gave way, and before Al could even draw an array, the soldiers began firing at them again. Summoning the last of his strength, Ed clenched his teeth tightly and clapped his hands together, letting his hands fall to the floor to cause the ground beneath the soldiers to collapse, sending them tumbling downwards into the tunnel directly below.

But not before the damage had been done. Ed saw the crimson bleeding from Al's shoulder, and he nearly cried out in shock, but a dull pain in his chest and Al's distant, frantic cries brought his attention to something else.

"_Brother! NO!_"

Only then did Ed notice the crimson blossoming through the torso of his shirt, and the warm, sticky substance pooling beneath him. He had had this feeling before…and that time had been the time Envy killed him...

Then everything went black. Ed only had time for one more thought before his mind fogged over completely.

_Winry.

* * *

_

"BROTHER!" Al watched Ed's still open eyes dull, then cloud over. Ed was losing blood, too much of it. He didn't know any CPR, nor did he have any technique that would heal…other than…

Human Transmutation.

Al's desperate mind fought to recall the formulas. Brother wasn't dead yet, his soul wasn't departed – Al decided that he could alchemically heal Ed, re-transmuting all the blood Brother had lost.

Al frantically patted his pockets for chalk, withdrawing a crushed stump that Dante had missed when he was searched. Al furiously scratched against the floor – every second counted – until a hand reached out and restrained his wrist.

"Alphonse, what are you doing?"

Al looked up and saw Aria's crimson eyes. "Ms…Ms. Shadowen! Brother, he –"

"You mean Edward?" Aria's eyes sparked when she spotted Ed's bloodied form lying a mere two feet away. Her eyes slightly, and then returned to normal.

"Alphonse, give me the chalk. We don't have much time." Al dumbly handed the chalk over. Aria took it and immediately began drawing over Al's clumsily constructed arrays, adding various symbols and lines that Al could not recognize. However, before he could question her motives, Aria clapped her hands together and pressed them to the floor, reciting softly.

Al strained his ears, but he could not understand Aria's words. Were they…Xerxes? The more he listened, the surer he was, for he could catch one or two words occasionally. Yet…they made no sense – something about an Eternal Talisman?

The incantation ended, and the area around Ed glowed brightly. The blood he had lost immediately disappeared, the wounds on his chest closed themselves, and the color returned to his face. Al nearly cried in joy when Ed's gold eyes fluttered open again, but Aria made it to him first.

"Edward." Aria's expression was serious. "Edward, you died in this world, and I do not have the power to keep you here long. I am sending you through the Gates…but your return is your own responsibility – I cannot help you. You will…not land in a pleasant time. The suffering you undergo will be equivalent to the life you regain."

Al couldn't understand what was going on. Brother…died? But then – what was going on right now?

Aria again clapped her hands together and pressed two fingers to Ed's forehead. "Go, but come back…and farewell."

There was a blinding flash, Al shielded his eyes with his arm before the light faded; his vision faded slowly to normal…Brother was nowhere in sight. Only Aria, Aria was where she had been before, two fingers now pressing into the bare earth. The backlash left a faint crater in the floor, and the dust had yet to settle.

"Ms…Shadowen? Where's Brother?" Al glanced around the cave in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"I sent him across the Gate – to Earth. He cannot stay here until his work there is done." Aria stood and dusted herself off. Al stumbled backwards a few steps in shock.

"Y…you mean Brother's…gone to another world…_AGAIN_? HOW IS HE GOING TO GET BACK!" Al exclaimed. "Bring him back!"

"I cannot. Edward is _dead_ in this world; and I am only able to bargain for his life. Returning to this dimension is his own task." Aria's eyes narrowed. "If he cannot do something as simple as this, then he is not the Guardian I am looking for."

Al opened his mouth to protest, but Aria's crimson gaze transfixed him to the spot. "Alphonse, do not question what I do. There is much more going on around your elder brother than you can comprehend. Even I do not understand fully what the Task was, and I performed it a millennia ago."

She paused, thoughtful for a moment. "Yet…if you are indeed his brother, then the same blood runs in your veins. Could it be…?" Aria's voice lowered to a whisper. "Alphonse, there is much I need to discuss with you. With that Rockbell mechanic as well."

As if on cue, Winry moaned and sat up, her eyes opening barely as she regained consciousness.

"Where…am I?"

Al and Aria exchanged glances – that was one explanation neither of them wanted to give.

To make matters worse, a resounding gunshot announced the arrival of someone new, and Aria barely reacted in time to catch the smoking bullet aimed between her eyes.

Dante's eyes gleamed. "Did you honestly think sending him to another world would put him out of my reach?"

* * *

Ed felt someone jerking him roughly by the collar of his shirt. 

"_Here's another one! Take him away! Filthy, Jewish pig that he is._" Ed's brain struggled for a moment before recognizing the language as German. Was he…in Germany?

Then full realization came rushing back. Ed groaned and tried to put a hand to his head, but it seemed to be bound to his other hand with a rough cloth. Was this what Aria meant when she warned that he wouldn't be landing in a pleasant time? What kind of time was this? Last time he was in Germany…it had been 1918…

Ed opened his eyes and found a German police officer dragging him towards a train that was packed with FAR too many people. In fact, they were pouring out of the train almost as fast as they were being pushed in. Gunshots punctuated the sweltering mid-afternoon haze and Ed spotted a red stain that looked horribly…like blood.

"_Where am I?_" Ed managed to mouth in German, which came out rather rusty due to the fact he neglected practice the moment he left Earth. "_What's going on?_"

The German police officer did not answer him, but shoved him onto the train packed full of other people. Before Ed could protest further, two other German officers slammed the compartment door shut, and Ed could hear the pounding of hammers on nails outside.

They were nailing the doors shut.

"WAIT! SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" Ed pounded furiously on the doors and tried futilely to get them back open. "WHERE ARE WE GOING!"

The air was stifling – there were way too many people packed onto this train. Ed did a few mental calculations and retched inwardly. Three hours…three hours until the people at the back would begin dying of suffocation. This was…this was insanity.

"WHAT THE FU–" Ed began, but a dry chuckle of an older man squashed against him cut him off.

"Boy, where have you been? How can you not know?" The man smirked disgustingly, displaying rows of decaying, yellowed teeth. Ed prevented himself from recoiling.

"Where the hell am I, and why is this happening?" Ed spat out.

"You must be a new arrival they picked up – you look a lot more energetic and healthier than the rest of us." The man chuckled dryly again before answering Ed's questions.

"You're on a train – a Jewish Deportation train, if you didn't notice. Those damned Nazis are sending all of us away. No one knows what's going to happen, but it isn't going to be pretty."

Ed blinked in confusion. "Where are we going?"

"There are rumors. No one's sure, but there are rumors of a concentration camp. They're going to be exterminating us."

The words might as well have been spoken in Spanish. Ed still understood nothing.

The man took no notice and continued.

"Considering the direction we're headed, I'd say there's only one place we're going to be going."

"Where?"

"Auschwitz." After saying this, the man threw his head backwards and laughed insanely.

For some reason, even though the name meant nothing to him, Ed felt cold shudders run down his spine. Then he mentally berated himself. He had seen more than most people ever did, what could possibly be that bad?

The train whistled, a shrieking scream of machinery, and the locomotive carrying its wailing cargo began to move. Forward to Auschwitz, a name that Ed had yet to understand.

* * *

A/N: 

well, that's probably one of the shortest chapters i hav yet to write

ARGH! STUPID WRITER'S BLOCK! I HAD TO RE-WRITE THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER TWICE BEFORE FINALLY GETTING IT RIGHT THE THIRD TIME! AND IT STILL SUCKS!

TT i think i'm honestly losing it (my touch or my sanity, whichever way u choose to interpret it XD)

REVIEW! REVIEW OR THOU SHALT BE CURSED BY THE GREAT WRATH OF THE UNAPPRECIATED AUTHOR! (hell hath no fury like that of a author unreviewed) LOLZ

REVIEW NOW!


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